The Last Wish

When I awoke this morning, the skies were grey and the rain had begun to fall.  Steve and I got ready to go, got Elysia up and bathed, and we hurried out the door.  Today is the day that Steve's family chose to place his father's ashes in the river. 

I didn't know Steve's dad very well, but what I do know is that he was loved.  To be dearly loved by family and friends, isn't that a life that we all want?  I heard once that we can't measure our life by how much we love others, but by how much we are loved.  If that's the case, then Ken was a very blessed man.

Steve's father passed away last September.  He wanted his ashes spread under the bridge where he once saved a woman's life many years ago, and the family came together to make sure that his wishes were honoured.  Not long after arriving at the pier where the boat waited to take the family under the bridge, the sky cleared and the sun greeted us with its warmth. 

It was a difficult day for my husband.  He wrote something earlier, and he said he didn't mind if I placed it in my blog.  Here it is...

I sent my dad to sea today and I am not sure how I feel about it. It has been one year since I lost him although it still feels like yesterday to me.


I know that loss of a loved one is a natural course of life but I have to ask the question why. It was not like he was an old man he was only 57 years old. So now our little girl will never know her grandpa Shaw. And out of this loss I have to say that that is the hardest thing to deal with. He will never get to look into her eyes and see them smile. He will never hear her laugh. He will never see me as a father and the man that I have become. I believe that he can see me but it is not the same. I wish that he could enjoy life with a granddaughter.

Dad you were my best friend, my mentor and my hero. I LOVE YOU DAD.