Saying goodbye to my dad...

Saying goodbye to my dad...  Family and friends of my father gathered at Dolly Sods in West Virginia on Tuesday for a little ceremony and remembrance, to say our good-byes to him (if you're new to this blog, my dad died last November – you can read more about him here).  We scattered dad's ashes amongst the azaleas not far from Bear Rocks Trail on the north side of Dolly Sods.  It was about as perfect as such an event and a day could be – the azaleas and bluets (two of his favorite flowers) were in bloom, temperatures were mild, and there was no rain.  The beautiful wooden box just visible in the photo at left below contained my dad's ashes; my brother-in-law made it.

There was no speechifying or formal ceremony (which my dad would have hated).  We each helped scatter some of the ashes, and then spent some time privately cherishing having known my dad and reflecting on what he meant to us.  I did something that he loved to do: I laid under an azalea and looked at its backlit blossoms against the blue sky...

My dad would have detested any conventional sort of ceremony, but I think he might have appreciated what we all did on Tuesday.  He certainly would have appreciated the flowers!  I'm glad we could organize and pull this off; it's now a memory I will cherish...