Half of me is missing – by Martin Phillips Half of me is missing I just don’t know what to say My bed is Oh so empty Where, we both should lay. Whilst watching the children grow We can no longer share our pride Half of me is missing I just want to go and hide. The sewing room lies silent There’s no smell of baking bread Words left unspoken And things I wish I’d said My rock in life has shifted I’m no longer on firm ground Half of me is missing And yet my Karen is all around

The Greatest – by Harriet Phillips Of all the gifts you gave to me However great or small To have you as my Mum Was the greatest gift of all You always seemed to know what’s wrong Before I had to say You seemed to know what’s on my mind Or if I’m down that day So as write this note in sadness I still listen to your voice Telling me it will be okay To remember happiness is a choice And be grateful for the good times Cherish our endless fun Countless hours spent in changing rooms And riding horses in the sun These special memories will never fade They will live within my heart Bringing me strength & comfort So we never feel apart For no matter what the future brings The big day that lies ahead I know you’ll walk beside me Along the path I tread So lucky to have an amazing Dad And to him you’d say with sorrow ‘what a wonderful life we shared Now live for each tomorrow ‘But for goodness sake clear your mess And don’t leave your phone at home’ You may not be here to nag him But he’ll never be alone As alongside my two big brothers You brought us all together And through us you live on From now until forever I see your strength in Adam The resemblance shines through His drive to succeed and change the world ..and love of spreadsheets too! In Paul I see your kindness Although he often drove you mad To say you were proud is not enough Wild child turned super dad And then along came Frank and Ted With great pleasure you got to meet They gave you joy and laughter and made your world complete For this is the legacy you leave with us A Wife, a Grandma, a Mother and we pledge to you this promise To be there for one another Now safely tucked within our hearts Your light will always shine A glowing ember never stilled Until the end of time So Thank You will never be enough For everything you’ve done My best friend, my teacher, my rock And the greatest ever Mum Love Always, Harriet xx

I met Karen in the mid 1990s when I joined Eastleigh College to embark on a career in teaching. Her knowledge, energy and enthusiasm was infectious. She dispelled any self doubts I might have had and convinced me that this is what I wanted to do. Many thanks, Karen. xx