Traditions

by on July 21, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

We went to Phelps Mill after the funeral. It’s an old mill and dam where the family grew up swimming on weekends, and we tend to congregate there after doing anything at the old church. Funerals. Marriages. We’ve done family reunions and softball games there. Going there is just another family tradition. A marriage ceremony was ending as we arrived, and we took some quick photos as a storm rolled in. We got back to our cars just ahead of the downpour, and went off to eat with family in a nearby town. Traditions like this are important. They help us navigate loss and gain. They remind us that we are part of something greater than just us. A long line of our ancestors has come through all of this before, and our descendents will do the same in the future. It reminds us that there is life after death.

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Funeral

by on July 20, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The funeral for my mom was good. The pastor spoke well. It was a celebration of the life my mom lived, with emphasis on the fact that we will meet again when our souls take the next step in life. And then we walked across the road to the cemetery. I carried my mom’s ashes past her grand parents and great grand parents. Then I hitched a left and walked over to where her parents and her brother lay. Next I took her to her uncles and aunts. Finally, I walked her over to the grave her brother and I dug the day before. I placed her in the ground, and I shoveled dirt onto her. Her brother shoveled dirt on her. One family member after another shoveled dirt until everything was back in place, and finished with the sod. Then we returned to the church for snacks and drinks. It was good. And it was hard.

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Star Lake

by on July 19, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

My mom grew going to Star Lake every summer. The family farm was a few miles away, and they would swim there every night to wash off the residue of working on the farm. But she never had a boat ride on Star Lake. On Friday, her brother rectified that oversight. We took her ashes out on his boat and went by Camp Joy, the summer camp they attended throughout their youth. We went to the beaver dam where they swam as kids, and we jumped out of the boat to take one last swim with mom. And we took a picture of me and my uncle, recreating one of him and my mom in the back of the same boat four years ago. It was a good day. A beautiful day.

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Death and Life

by on July 17, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

I buried my mom yesterday. Surrounded by family and friends. We had a good service with good music. We dug the hole and placed her in the ground. We ate some food and talked about her life. She’s not in pain anymore. That is a great blessing. And now it is time to go forward with life. There is life after death after all. We all go on. We all move on. My work, my family, and my friends have all helped me a great deal during this difficult time. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve done. I don’t know where I would be right now without you. Know that you have all made a difference. I will not forget.

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