Farewell to mum

Flora Ursula Buchanan - September 20th 1934 to January 22nd 2022

In the early hours of this morning, my mum - Flora Buchanan - went home to be with the Lord.

This beautiful, adventurous and joyful woman faced hardship and suffering that would have crushed most people and yet she maintained a radiance and grace that touched everyone who came into contact with her.

Despite having MS and being wheelchair-bound for the majority of her adult life, she raised my brother, my sister and me and played an active role in supporting my Dad in his ministry. She travelled the world with him, supporting him, encouraging him as well as speaking and counselling in her own right. As he readily admitted, without Mum, Dad would have been nothing.

She refused to give in to self-pity and lived her life to the fullest possible extent that her failing body would allow her to. Her famous catch-phrase was “I may well have MS but MS has definitely not got me!”

Given that we don’t get to choose our parents, I feel privileged that I had her as my mum and that my daughters Lauren and Megan had her as a fantastic Grandma too. She even had room in her heart to welcome my glorious wife, Hadassa and my three amazing step-daughters - Miriam, Andrea and Ana.

We will miss her horribly but we also know we will see her again.

Farewell for now, Mum, you were a shining example of how incredible a woman can be.

You lived without compromise but had no enemies. 

You lived a fierce life but had no bitterness.

You made tremendous sacrifices but had no regrets.

Your faith was tested but you had no doubts.

You had many peers but you had no equal.