October 20 - Final Goodbyes - Burial at Sea

"Final Goodbyes" Original acrylic, 9 x 12, not for sale.
A long day, full of emotional content, and I don't know if I ought to try to contain it all in an email. However, perhaps the painting will give you a greater gift than my words tonight.
Today's painting is the culmination of the reason for this trip to Hawai'i, Diamond Head in the late afternoon light, from the ocean side--not the "usual view" from Waikiki. It is approximately here that we dropped our parents' ashes, and said our final goodbyes. Diamond Head remained in shadow until we were well toward her, and then for the entire time we were releasing Mom and Pop's ashes, the sun shown brilliantly on her flanks. The rainbow followed the mountains all the way from the harbor, and stopped just where you see it in this painting. After we began our journey back, Diamond Head again went into shadow, as if to say, "I welcome them to me, they are mine now--you can go with comfort."
  More amazement for us when we arrived to get on the catamaran--the one we were scheduled to take had "sudden engine trouble" and so we were upgraded to the one that carries 40 people at the last minute. Truly amazing. The service was short, with each of us putting 1/3 of the mixed ashes of both parents into the water. Then we scattered flowers and I read this modified poem:

Do not see the ocean and cry; We are not there. We do not die.
We will be the trade winds that blow. We will be the ocean waves below. We will be in Hawai’i’s rain.
And because of you, we are home again.
So when you go on with smiling faces, far away, in other places
You’ll think of this moment when you unpack,
But know this now--You’ve brought us back.
Please do not stand here and cry, we are not here, it is not goodbye.

I have to say, I have this feeling of great tiredness, yet a lifting of my spirit today, for the burden of being caretaker for their corporeal remains has been lifted from my shoulders now. Tomorrow I spend the day on a ranch on on the windward side, for some much needed horse time.