ipaulmadden

[ipaulmadden]

Most of the people I've worked with over the years always commented on the first line of my emails or letters. It obviously seemed old-fashioned to them. 

The infamous first line was and actually still is:

"I hope this email finds you well."

As I type this now, my eyes are watering because the person whom I stole this from died today at the ripe old age of 87 at 13:32, Uncle Larry.

Larry, who travelled the world onboard Cunard's QEII, always sent a postcard (remember them) to his mother (Granny) and us from exotic locations and while the squiggly writing never changed, neither did what he wrote:

"I hope this postcard finds you well."

The pictures, however, always changed; all the Caribbean Islands, Sydney Harbour, Hamburg, Flordia, places we Maddens would only dream of going.Before she died, Granny's cupboards were full of kitchen utensils he would return with that were never opened.

When the late Queen visited the QEII, Larry was there (literally) with a helping hand as she boarded from another, smaller vessel (there was video footage of this). 

After retirement, he had a wealth of stories that usually involved the "Old Man", which we later worked out meant the Captain. Later still, we knew and could tell these yarns better than he could due to the number of times we had heard them.

Now that he has gone, the smell of gin, the taste of salted peanuts (usually by the handful), and the oddness of steak for Christmas day breakfast will forever remind my siblings and me of him, his stories, his incredible mind, and memory, and his infinite kindness and generosity. 

In the words of Walt Whitman;

"...My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done, From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;       Exult O shores, and ring O bells!       But I with mournful tread,       Walk the deck my Captain lies,       Fallen cold and dead..."

Rest in Peace as you take your final trip, Uncle Larry; no doubt, the Old Man and Ben will be waiting with a G&T in hand (followed by a very strong rum) but alas for us, there will be no postcard this time.

[ipaulmadden]

September 8, 2022, will go down in history as the day that Britain's longest-reigning monarch died. On March 17 2017, the Guardian posted an article by Sam Knight entitled, "'London Bridge is down': the secret plan for the days after the Queen's death." At the time, it grabbed huge attention as it seemed odd that there was an intricate plan for when the Queen died. It was like the plot of a movie - with huge amounts of detail on the various steps that would need to happen and specific roles certain people would have to play on the death of the monarch. Watching the live coverage yesterday, I was not surprised by the outpowering of love, sadness and grief for this incredible woman's passing; it felt like she was the nation's grandmother. However, as someone who works in palliative care, I wasn't surprised to hear members of the public saying things like they "thought she was going to live forever" or "I can't believe she's gone." These phrases are very common when someone dies. It confirms for me that we all don't talk about death enough. We know logically, in the cold light of day, that we don't live forever, but we don't live and breathe the reality of it in a way that makes us plan for our own inevitable exit; talk to our loved ones, plan for what we want and more importantly, what we don't want. For those in the field of palliative care, we know how important it is for patients and those important them that, just like the Queen/Country/Government, there is a plan (Advanced Care Planning). We know it takes a lot of stress and distress from an already emotionally charged situation. We also know that situations, where there isn't a plan or lack of communication can lead to unfulfilled patients' wishes and family members with many regrets. The Queen's last public engagement was on July 15, when she officially opened a new hospice. I hope the Queen's passing gets people talking about death, their own death, and dying positively and take inspiration from the article that outlined (over 6 years ago) what should happen in the event of the Queen's death and plan for what we know will eventually happen and to speak with the people in our lives and find out what they want or would like. (Link to the article mentioned: https://lnkd.in/eg5icgyt ) #queen #DyingMatters #grief #hospice #HospiceLife #HospiceCare #QueenRIP #LondonBridgeIsDown #AdvanceCarePlan #LetsTalkAboutDeath #griefsupport #griefandloss #griefawareness #Dying #deathanddying #deathpositive #palliativecare #palliative

[ipaulmadden]

THE G CLUB by PAUL MADDEN  www.paulmadden.info

[ipaulmadden]

THE G CLUB [Kindle Version] is on sale this week https://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Club-Paul-Madden-ebook/dp/B076J5F68W/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

[ipaulmadden]

This PRIDE Month, why not try THE G CLUB by Paul Madden See what others thought: https://www.paulmadden.info/reviews Get your copy: https://www.paulmadden.info/the-g-club-book-shop

[ipaulmadden]

“This is a wonderful book! Even though the majority of the characters are gay, the book is not about being gay but focuses on a person struggling with grief and loss. Of course the trails and tribulations of being gay jolt the main character into situations that, on occasion, made my eyebrow tilt. But it also forced some pretty deep introspection, which has lingered with me for the past 2 weeks. Excellent job Paul!!! I am so proud, yet insanely jealous of your accomplishment.“ - ONLINE REVIEW

[ipaulmadden]

ONE SECOND VIDEO: 2017 from Paul Madden on Vimeo.

One second video from each day of 2017

[ipaulmadden]

“Super story which plunges you into a rollercoaster of emotions from beginning to end. Highly enjoyable. Must admit I was initially wary as I did what one should never do ..... judged this book by its cover and decided it might not be for me ..... how wrong was I. An amazing insight into life and love in modern day London and the normality of gay life, true friendships, mental health and compassion. Highly recommended read for men or women, old or young, gay or straight.”

- ONLINE REVIEW

[ipaulmadden]

“This book is amazing, you are transported to London and are entwined in the lives of a group transcending age, culture and sexuality. It keeps you engrossed throughout and explores many of the issues facing today's society. You will find yourself smiling and having a little cry but also laughing throughout and it has an amazing soundtrack which I played while reading which helped me to imagine each scene more clearly, it was beautiful. If you have ever loved and lost somebody dear to you I think you'll get a lot of perspective from this story. It was beautiful “

- ONLINE REVIEW

[ipaulmadden]

“It’s the living that have to resurrect themselves, Not the dead.”

- Paul Madden

[ipaulmadden]

GRIEF IS INESCAPABLE... The G Club is a novel that follows two people who are struggling with grief.  BUY YOUR COPY - https://goo.gl/91zbkj FIND OUT MORE - www.paulmadden.info

[ipaulmadden]

My debut novel, THE G CLUB is available to buy now. www.paulmadden.info

[ipaulmadden]

‘It’s the living that have to resurrect themselves, not the dead” News coming this week....sign up at www.paulmadden.info to be the first to know

[ipaulmadden]

"It's the living..." Trailer Don’t forget to sign up for exclusive news - www.paulmadden.info

[ipaulmadden]

My new trailer: Chemsex

[ipaulmadden]

New Trailer....sign up at www.paulmadden.info for more news

[ipaulmadden]

Untitled from Paul Madden on Vimeo.