For my mother, and myself, a final journey home
Anakana Schofield reflects on the recent death of her mother, Hannah, who passed away at the age of 80. As she travels to Ireland for her mother's funeral, she contemplates the profound sense of loss and the solitude that often accompanies such journeys. Schofield also considers the shared experiences of grief among those who must mourn from afar or navigate the complexities of loss in a new country.
- ▪Hannah Schofield, Anakana's mother, passed away at the age of 80.
- ▪Anakana is traveling to Ireland for her mother's funeral, feeling a deep sense of loss.
- ▪She reflects on the common experience of people traveling to mourn loved ones far away.
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Open this photo in gallery:Despite turning 80 last year, Anakana Schofield’s mother, Hannah, kept a small farm in Ireland at the time of her death.Courtesy Anakana SchofieldShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountAnakana Schofield’s new novel is Library of Brothel.Yesterday, my mother was alive. Today, as I write these words, she’s in the morgue waiting for an autopsy, and to be buried.All I can think is how completely astonished she’ll be to find herself dead. She wasn’t a woman who talked about dying. Even though her life was hard, she enjoyed living. She enjoyed laughing. She enjoyed her two pedigree cows, goats, bees and chickens.All I managed yesterday was to obtain the soonest plane ticket I could to Ireland.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Globe and Mail.
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