A scattering of ashes

This past Sunday, March 23^rd, I convened a scattering of ashes ceremony. My best friend Tom Wade, good friends Donna Blow and Nancy Muller and their son Joshua, and Dennis’s son Aragorn gathered on Twin Peaks at 11am. I had been trying to get us all together since Dennis’s birthday on February 2^nd but the weather had not been cooperating. Every time I scheduled the ceremony for a Sunday, it rained (of course, we really need the rain here in California as we are in a drought situation). Even though we all live here in San Francisco, at times you forget how many tourists this town relies on as numerous tour buses kept pouring into the parking lot, dispersing their passengers for their 15-minute look at the city from the highest point around.

We lowered ourselves over the low wall and walked down a bit to get away from all the other people. I thanked everyone for coming to honor a wonderful man who we all loved. To lighten the situation a bit, I told everyone that a scoop was needed to get the ashes out of the urn, so I scrounged around the kitchen and brought one of Dennis’s old measuring cups. It elicited a laugh from everyone as we all knew that Dennis was a wonderful cook and he would have appreciated the irony of using one of his measuring cups as a scoop. I asked Aragorn to go first, followed by Donna, Tom, Nancy, and Joshua. I went last, and right before it was my turn, my emotions started surfacing and I had tears in my eyes as I scattered his ashes.

It was a lovely ceremony, attended by those who loved him the most and knew him the longest. I know he was looking down on us as we scattered his ashes. We all love you dear and we all miss you, especially me.