First, I met up with friends and family in Marietta, Ohio to celebrate Heather's birthday, the first time without her. She was a triathlete and when she got sick, many people talked about having a run or a bike ride to raise money for her bills. She made us all promise that we would never make anyone run on her behalf! So we had the first annual HeatherZG 0 k. No running, just good memories, good stories, and some margaritas.
It was a sunny
day, so it seemed a little extra sad to go to the cemetery in the middle of a
Saturday afternoon. A time usually
reserved for family fun and weekly errands, the events of the living. I had thought of driving out there so
many times over the past few months, thinking that maybe seeing the plaque in
the ground personally might help me feel closer to her. But I never made that drive until this
day. We stood around the grave,
sharing our thoughts, a few feelings, generally just wanting her to know we
were there. One of the group had
put a Margarita in the water bottle from Heather's last tri event. We passed it around to share and
sprinkled some on the grave. We
talked about how much Heather would like that we were together and Wendy poured
the last of the drink on the ground, including the ice. We joked about how Heather was an ice
cruncher and she would have been mad if we hadn't shared it all with her.
Just then, in the
full sunny day, it started to lightly rain. If there was ever doubt she was there, it was gone at that
moment. We all quietly stood in
the rain and smiled.
 |
| On the shirts her sister had made. |
In May, I attended a police memorial. May is National Police week in the U.S. Not every one can make it to Washington, DC for the main event and large memorial, so many smaller ones are held throughout the nation. This one had officers speaking, a police horse, a laying of the wreath and bugle player off in the distance.
(I took about 30 different shots of this wreath, it was so gorgeous in person. Many macros and some cluster shots. I will use them with some flag shots for future events. I also sent some to the event planner so she would have one to take to the florist each year. It helps in getting exactly what they want for this ceremony.)
3 comments:
the story of your friend, her 0k and the sprinkles at the cemetery gave me chills. how wonderful of all of you. :)
Thanks for sharing the times you remembered a loved one's passing. Will be at an interment at Willamette National later in the week for a dear old friend, 90, who passed and was able to get a PGR mission for the final resting spot. Sad and she's at peace with the Lord now. Good times of memories that will live with us forever! Hugs!
A moving post. Thank you.
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