Rememberance: A moment of realization of life and the fragility of the human spirit.
My son and I went fishing at our neighborhood park, we were both agitated from a day of work, school and just all around daily stresses. We both snapped at each other and carried the stresses of the day with us but we were trying to unwind with an evening of fishing. We ended up being spectators at a rememberance for a young girl that had recently committed suicide. What we both gained through the experience was perspective on the way we carry through our daily stress and the fleeting fragility of life.
I didn’t know any of the details, I just heard the music and could barely discern what seemed to be a eulogy. The amazing thing about the evening was that everything stopped for a moment, the birds stopped singing, the water was still and the clouds parted to allow a great warm light on the water. You could call all of this imagination or coincidence but it was the presence we both could feel. It was sad but it almost seemed hopeful, the light shined on the water and made an incredible display on the lake. We both thought of the way we treat each other and how much we appreciate the people around us that we call friends and family.
As the blue and red balloons left the ground and rose into the sky, it was as dramatic as it was symbolic. I could see the people hugging each other and the pain of loss and the shock was something you could feel like the start of a storm-the static feeling in the air. I’ve always said one of the saddest things when someone you love dies is the fact that nothing stops. One of the strongest memories I have of my dad dying was the fact that I had to bring the garbage in, the mundane feeling of bringing in the garbage,
the stubborn weight of the chore that seemed indifferent to my situation. I can honestly say though at this moment the world stopped, even just for a few seconds-I watched their candles reflecting in the lake as the glow grew larger and the balloons disappeared into the darkening sky,
My son and I had a talk about mortality, the sadness of the situation and how we should appreciated every day and those around us. We both left the park with a sadness but a feeling of hope, the outpouring of love and concern from the mourners and the idea that we need to tell the people we know that we care before they leave us. Sadly, she wasn’t there to see the love and the concern but with the beauty of the sunrise and the presence we both felt, I almost feel she was looking down and she had found some peace.
