Autmun is coming?

You would think since it's the middle of October, that autumn should be coming, but it's still nice and warm every day, despite the leaves slowly changing colors outside.

I'm going to be writing more on all of my websites, especially since I figured out how to do it from my phone, and so this space is for the big picture of life, thoughts on my life, what I love, and what I think about. No one may care and that's okay too. 

When things happen to other people, it jogs memories of my own. One of best friends in the world just lost her father, suddenly and with no warning. I lost my mother and my brother in the same way. That sudden loss his you like a punch from the Big Giant Hand in the Sky. It's rude, and confusing, and it hurts like hell. 

She's working out how to remember her father who wanted no service or memorial or anything, and this made me remember when my mother passed in 2006, my brother and I decided no grave because the idea of putting our mother in ground was just a horrible idea, so we chose cremation.

This was March, and so later that year, my brother Doug came out to Oregon where I was living, and we had a road trip all over Washington and Oregon with my 3-year-old daughter in tow, leaving our mother's ashes in all her favorite places -- Mt. Rainier first, and then we headed to the Olympic Peninsula. There we left her ashes near Crescent Lake, Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rainforest. Just a bit, never to be found or cause problems. We even saw a bear on our trip. 

The majority of her ashes were put in the ocean. We'd hired Captain Joe from Garibaldi to take us out in the water off the coast of Rockaway Beach. He lined the boat up with a huge sea rock that is a natural bridge shape, and through the hole of the rock we could see St. Mary's church. Our mother's name was Mary. 

That's where we laid her to rest, but we each kept two small vials of ashes, just because a person doesn't know what to do. Letting go of all the ashes doesn't sound good, keeping them seems creepy, but day by day, you move forward. 

When I lost my brother suddenly in January 2021 to a gunman who's still never been found, I haven't done anything with his ashes yet. I don't know if I ever will, but I think my brain is leaning toward a memorial garden at Rosemary Hill. With beautiful flowers and stones with their names. 

Hug your people tight. Anyone can be gone in the blink of an eye. ❤️