The next few days went as planned. That is something that has helped me cope so far. We had been given time by Lily to prepare the perfect send off. We asked friends and family to call and say their goodbyes to Lily. On Tuesday the 27th May we had a private service in our home. A family priest made a beautiful job of Lily's farewell. We played songs and said prayers and to finish, we all went out to Lily's cherry blossom tree and released a white balloon each. 17 balloons went up into the air and we were overwhelmed by emotion. My 4 yr old said Lily could play with them all when they got up to her. Such a simple sentence tore me apart and gave me peace at the same time. Such a lovely thought to end the service. We then placed her into her new bed, a comfy wicker basket.

On the Wednesday, my husband and I travelled to Cork to have her cremated. A quick, quiet and very difficult ceremony. We returned on Thursday with her remains. My husband and I scattered her ashes out the back of our house, where her cherry blossom tree is and where our girls play. Oh what a lovely feeling to think that she will now play freely with them and I can look out at her every day. We also scattered some ashes in at my parent's house. They have made a garden of remembrance for her, with beautiful Lily flowers. We buried the remaining ashes in our local cemetery.