Honoring My Mom
One of the things I do to honor my Mom’s passing (and honestly, to bring myself emotional comfort as well) is to bring some of her ashes with me on most of my travels. My goal over the past 8 years since she passed has been to sprinkle her ashes in meaningful spots around the world – places I know she loved and wanted to return, and places I know she wanted to visit, but would never have the chance.
I started with The Bund, in Shanghai, where Mom had always wanted to go, but in later years could not, due to her compromised lungs and the poor air quality there. I’ve also managed to sprinkle some of Mom’s ashes at:
- Lord Byron’s Bay in Portovenere (on the way to Cinque Terre, Italy)
- Topkapi Palace in Istanbul (in the rose garden of this architectural wonderland where East meets West)
- Central Park, NYC (overlooking the ice skating rink)
- Kennebunkport, ME (on the coastal rocks, right at the very place where a photo had been taken of my Mom and Dad when they were dating, oh so long ago)
- Longboat Key, Sarasota FL (in a quiet spot out on the beach in front of the cabins where we vacationed together as a family for many years)
- San Francisco, CA (on the rocky hills overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and onward to the skyline of San Francisco)
- Grand Canyon, CO (Southern Rim, out as far as we could safely walk, on a nature path near the famous El Tovar Hotel)
- Hong Kong (rocky cliffs out on the back side of the island, one of my Mom’s favorite destinations)
- Sedona, AZ (where my cousin Kay and I also built cairns <stacks of rocks and stones of varying sizes in the Celtic tradition> in honor of my Mom, our Dads and a good friend who had recently passed)
… so far. Meanwhile, I’ve taken stock of her remaining ashes, and I figure if I’m careful, I can make them last for quite a few more destinations over the coming years.
It gives me great comfort and pleasure to honor my Mom in this way, and I’m making a little “guidebook” to all the spots where I’ve sprinkled her ashes, so that her other children and grandchildren can visit these spots during their lifetimes.