Tomorrow my mother and I will travel to Upstate New York where my father’s cremains will be interred at the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery during a private service next week. My late husband Rich’s cremains rest in Jacksonville National Cemetery (FL), a beautiful peaceful spot. It was a place initially intended for my father, but due to familial ties my dad is presently due north. In fact, as I write this, I am tracking his urns via USPS as they’ve been entrusted to my brother’s family for safe keeping until the service. (Post note: they’ve arrived safely).
I use the words urns because like Rich, my father’s ashes are contained in multiple urns containing his ashes that will be spread in several places; Saratoga Springs, NY, Hackensack, NJ and here in the last place he called home, St. Marys, GA. Would love to see one up near his hometown of Danvers, MA, the place he recalled the most in his final days as he reminisced about his youth.
How one chooses to memorialize a beloved family member, or present a Celebration of Life, is a highly personal matter. Like I’d done for Rich, I helped my mother select urns for all of these special places. One will be kept near one of Rich’s placed in a dedicated spot in my home.
This process reminded me that I still have a small urn of Rich’s ashes that are intended to be placed somewhere in the Florida Keys. As I’d shared in an earlier post, Rich’s ashes flow in tributaries that have held special meaning to both of us.
In the early days of my Widowhood, I took lots of short trips to visit friends in different parts of Florida and then drove to New Jersey with my little dog Quint to bring Rich’s ashes to their True North at The Jersey Shore. Rich loved his times at the shore as a youth, and came to call it home later in life even before we shared homes in two shore counties for twenty-five years.
A place to which Rich also felt a strong connection was the Florida Keys and over the course of two decades, we’d spend a lot of time in several Key spots includingMarathon, Big Pine Key, Islamorada and Key Colony Beach with frequent memorable trips to Key West with many visitors and guests.
Recently, I went on the VRBO site (Vacations Rental by Owner). One of the listings looked familiar and upon making an inquiry, I realized it was managed by the same young man that had rented a home to Rich and I several years ago near Marathon. After making an inquiry, it looks like I may be heading to The Keys once again where on what would’ve been our 27th Wedding Anniversary, I will send more of Rich’s ashes to their watery rest.
But at this time, it’s all about my dad. It will be good to be up north again to gather with family and to make more memories despite the sad occasion. My Mom will remain there for a respite and to spend time with my brother and his family. Then I will return south to live in a place far from my hometown without my husband and without any family nearby, but I’m grateful for my Found Family who’ve made this place feel like home.
I will share more next Saturday. Thanks for reading.
