Saturday, April 05, 2008

Obituary: Eyeonmiami style. By Geniusofdespair

One of our readers said: “If you had sports and death notices you would be as good as the Miami Herald.”

So let’s talk about death and make this reader happy. Ashes in particular. First of all, ashes of a whole person are heavier than I would have imagined, and they are not without bone fragments.

When my mother was cremated she was put in a cardboard box and handed to me. That would never do. I couldn't haul her around in a cardboard box. Finding the right container around the house to put ashes in is no small chore. If you are going to just dump them somewhere it is senseless to buy a special expensive container (usually engraved).

Being spatially challenged, I poured her ashes into a few vases before I found one that fit all of her. I had to bring the vase to New York which posed the problem: The vase needed a top. That wasn’t easy to find, but I fashioned something with which to cork it and on the plane she went with me. Once in New York with the corked vase there was a memorial service and the relatives decided that her ashes were to be spread into her beloved lake (where she had a home for over 40 years). I liked that.

The relative charged with the spreading of the ashes in the lake thought that was too much trouble. She was afraid of picking up ticks at the lake so she chose another body of water and that is where they spread her ashes: In the Long Island Sound.

It would have been her birthday April 7th, the good woman in the cardboard box spread in the wrong body of water.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yep, ashes to ashes. We all get there one day.

out of sight said...

Relatives are always something else, aren't they? But you know what?

What you know in your heart about your Mom, is the perfect resting place for her soul.

Anonymous said...

Its not easy losing your mom, and once she is gone there is no really no way to replace her.