Today my mom would have been 84 years old - hard to believe. If you have been a regular follower of this blog, you will remember Nanny from my previous blog post here.
Birthdays are all about celebrating and honoring a life, and when a loved one has left us, many of us go to a grave site to pay our respects on their birthday.
My sister Kate, brother Tyler and I had scattered mom's ashes at the beach in her beloved Summerland,Ca., as well as around the little park overlooking the beach there, where we shared many fond and funny memories - of birthday parties and pinatas that were empty because my mom thought they came loaded - didn't know that she had to fill the darn thing with candy. (you should have seen the look on the grandkids' faces when they whacked that thing open and NOTHING fell out!)
I think it was my sister who thought of donating a "memorial" bench to Summerland's Lookout Park - the perfect way to remember our mom in the most perfect spot. Nanny was a quiet, introspective woman, so a bench looking out over the ocean seemed like a great fit.
A couple of years after moving up here to Idaho, I was visiting California and knew I would be traveling through Summerland. Armed with paper and crayons, I stopped by Nanny's bench to pay my respects. After having a good cry, I pulled myself together and made a few rubbings from the plaque on her bench:
So today I am re-visiting Nanny's bench by running my hands over the rubbing saved from that trip.
If you are ever at Lookout Park in Summerland and need to take a moment to gather your thoughts, stop by and visit Nanny's bench - at the furthest end of the park in a quiet little spot away from the noise of the picnics, parties and bar-b-ques....
Happy Birthday sweet Nanny!
Pammy
Thanks for sharing, Pam. Birthdays and holidays bring so many memories flooding.
ReplyDeleteLove, Merle