I was surrounded by my favourite wildflowers, a ditch filled with Indian Paintbrush. I had already picked a good bouquet when the email came through. My dad's cousin Bob had passed away. Bob was a special cousin to me. He was a dairy farmer and a musician. I remember connecting with him on many an occasion. Our dairy farming connection was an extra special bond.
My hubby and I were just heading out for a few days in Alberta the wilderness. My heart felt heavy and I didn't want to burden him with the sadness of the moment. So I stayed in the ditch and picked flowers and thought of Bob. I dedicated the bouquet to him and kept the news of his passing to myself.
We moved a little farther down the road to the next stop in our journey, Brazeau Dam. I got a chance to go walking on the beach and I found myself wanting to do something more to commemorate Bob and his memory. I found a piece of driftwood and carved his name in it. Then I threw driftwood out into the reservoir and let the waves of the water dance with it. I felt like my time in nature would have met with Bob's approval.
I have a big family and every once in a while I get a notification via email that someone has died. I don't always have the opportunity to do something special, but that day I did. I ended up sending the pictures of the flowers to Bob's family and his wife emailed me back.
Hi Ruby, Thanks for the beautiful flowers and pictures!
Thanks for thinking of us.
Marion and family.
Maybe sometimes that is all it takes. Sympathy cards are nice, but when you are surrounded by wildflowers and they are there to soak up the sadness of the moment, then let that be the card. Let that moment be the one you pass along to those who are hurting.
“Life seems sometimes like nothing more than a series of losses, from beginning to end. That's the given. How you respond to those losses, what you make of what's left, that's the part you have to make up as you go.” ― Katharine Weber
No comments:
Post a Comment