Mom died a few months ago decades after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and at least a dozen years as a quadriplegic. I took care of her the last two years of her life, significantly changing my own in the process.
It took me a while to let go, to bite the bullet and return her ashes last weekend to Washington for interment. I did it my way, without a funereal ceremony, because I felt assured I had helped her meet her spiritual needs while she was alive, and I did not want to have a memorial at church.
So I visited her very best friends, The Aunties, and let them have time and tea with me, the daughter who looks like her mother. I have always loved The Aunties, and they loved me back in the very best way, as they always do, and let me have this time with them. I heard a couple of new twists on old stories, but not much scandal or secret. They are her very best friends, of course, and keep secrets well, or else mom was entirely too innocent for my tastes.
I did hold back some ashes, and today, on a whim, I grabbed one vial as I headed out the door on a work roadtrip to Fairbanks. I stopped at a wayside with an excellent view of Mt McKinley, or Denali, "The Great One," the largest mountain in North America. I meant to scatter only a small amount of ashes, some here, some there, along the way, but before I knew it, it was all gone.
Fine with me, mom. It's just about the most gorgeous day ever, with a range of blues, your favorite color, on the mountain for your pleasure. Rest In Peace, Daisy Mae, you were so loved, and as Doc always said, "You ain't nobody 'til somebody loves ya."
2 comments:
What a beautiful picture, your mom would have loved it... May your mother rest in peace and may you also find the peace you deserve. Life is hard but the loss of a loved one, can be harder.
You will get no thanks from anyone, and you probably do not care. If you do not, it is the reward of a life led like you wanted to
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