an elderly woman, who was hit by a car while crossing an Auckland
road last week. Now that the life support has been switched off her
name has been published and, in death, she has lost some of the
anonymity of a stranger.
So why would I be so deeply moved by the fate of this particular
stranger? The answer is a very simple and human thing. At the time
of the accident she was carrying her young grandchild in her arms
and he, bruised and weeping, picked himself up from where he'd been
flung on impact, ran to her and cried out, "Nanna, Nanna."
There are, at any given moment, any number of tragedies happening a
lot closer to home than this one. But I recognise and embrace the
universal connection between nanna and moko, the fact that somewhere
there is a grieving whanau and moko, and the feelings I have for
them.
If I could I would tell them these things and hope they gave them
some comfort.
Fare well Aihui Wu. Haere ra ki to kainga tuturu. I recognise you.
