“The sun was shining and the sky was blue with a few white clouds as I paddled closer toward the center of the lake. … Suddenly, out of nowhere, the sky got dark and big gusts of wind were blowing. … What I thought would be a touching ceremony between me and my mother turned into a hurried, workmanlike task as I pulled the plastic bag out of the box, opened it, and poured the contents into the lake, the wind blowing much of the ashes back in my face.”
Mark Oliver Everett was scattering his mother’s ashes in a lake that held fond memories of family outings. I’ve read a number of accounts of the scattering of ashes; when the ashes are spread upon the waters there often seem to be mischievous breezes lurking nearby. Everett’s is only the latest I’ve read in which a wind pops up and hurls the cremains irreverently back into mourners’ faces.
Should I find myself tasked with scattering I will know what to expect.
source: Things the Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett
4 comments:
You might find this link interesting then: Chekhov’s Ashes.
oh dear
We've got three (or maybe two) ashes scattering opportunities coming up. Good to be prepared. I guess.
it's easier to be upset by a surprise.
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