Re Simon Hattenstone’s article (My mum fought for the underdog all her life – and I was one of her biggest missions, 23 December), my husband Tim died of a cerebral aneurysm in April, a little over a month after his 50th birthday. He was the most wonderful person, and to have been loved by him is the greatest gift I will ever have been given.
The Guardian has provided me with many resources since Tim died: the Bereavement section is saved in my settings on the app, and I check it every day. Simon’s piece was lovely. I have saved the Maya Angelou quotation he used –“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – and will be sharing it with Tim the next time I write to him (which I do frequently), probably tomorrow.
Maura-Dell O’Mahony
Hamburg, Germany
• What a beautiful article. It reminded me so much of my own mother. She wasn’t able to do as much as Simon Hattenstone’s mother, Marje, as financial circumstances restrained her greatly, but she brought us up to help those in less fortunate circumstances, and spent what little time she had left over in helping our extended family and neighbours. I wish I had told her at the time how much I admired her, how she encouraged the three of us to be better, kinder people, and how much I loved her.
Geraldine Blake
Worthing, West Sussex
• Simon Hattenstone walked out on his A-level English teacher after being berated for failing to agree that The Waste Land was optimistic. My A-level English teacher sent me out for asking what the word “irony” meant. I’m still undecided as to whether his action was, in itself, an ironic statement.
Jeremy Waxman
Canterbury
