Ashes Scattering
Oct. 15th, 2013 08:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackA month ago, mum and dad and my aunt and uncle went to scatter my grandparents ashes.
We went to a bit of coast they loved, in the woods, down by the sea.
We camped there overnight (the easiest way down to the shore is through the campsite, which is private), something we'd not together since I was about 10. It was really nice.
There was some lovely sunshine on saturday, and a lovely view, across the fields and woods and sea, and we thought what a lovely place it was. And almost wished we'd done the scattering then, but we'd arranged to meet aunt and uncle on the Sunday.
Then it rained all night and most of the next day, and we feared we'd end up with a muddy mess, which would be memorable, but a bit silly.
But just when we were debated which of the places would be best, the rain dies down for a bit and a strong wind picked up, and we all said, there won't be a better moment than this! Mum and Uncle took a jar each and scattered handfuls on the beach, until the began shaking the jars out. The wind was enough the ashes flew sideways and vanished in the air, just how you imagine, cleanly dissipating.
We made sure to check the wind direction, and mum and uncle carefully threw downwind, and the rest of us carefully stood to the side.
It was a really, really memorable weekend. I wouldn't have changed anything about it.
Grandma died about ten years ago and grandfather died this summer. I didn't feel my life changed a lot day-to-day, but it's sometimes a strange feeling that they're not there, and occasionally I count up all the things in my life I owe to them.
We went to a bit of coast they loved, in the woods, down by the sea.
We camped there overnight (the easiest way down to the shore is through the campsite, which is private), something we'd not together since I was about 10. It was really nice.
There was some lovely sunshine on saturday, and a lovely view, across the fields and woods and sea, and we thought what a lovely place it was. And almost wished we'd done the scattering then, but we'd arranged to meet aunt and uncle on the Sunday.
Then it rained all night and most of the next day, and we feared we'd end up with a muddy mess, which would be memorable, but a bit silly.
But just when we were debated which of the places would be best, the rain dies down for a bit and a strong wind picked up, and we all said, there won't be a better moment than this! Mum and Uncle took a jar each and scattered handfuls on the beach, until the began shaking the jars out. The wind was enough the ashes flew sideways and vanished in the air, just how you imagine, cleanly dissipating.
We made sure to check the wind direction, and mum and uncle carefully threw downwind, and the rest of us carefully stood to the side.
It was a really, really memorable weekend. I wouldn't have changed anything about it.
Grandma died about ten years ago and grandfather died this summer. I didn't feel my life changed a lot day-to-day, but it's sometimes a strange feeling that they're not there, and occasionally I count up all the things in my life I owe to them.