Our friend Jay died recently, as I noted in an earlier post HERE. Today we laid his ashes to rest in Lake Chapala.
The birds were in attendance,
the night heron and snowy egret,
coots and pelicans.
And his friends—
some in the boat, others
gathered on the shore
along with children—those reassurances
that life goes on.
We lifted a glass
and recalled the day he returned the sacrificial ollitas* to the lake,
the words of children sealed in their depths,
giving the lake back what was once hers,
and as if she listened, she swelled her skirts anew,
reclaiming those shores she had long abandoned.
He was Mexican by choice if not by birth,
and we returned him to her,
strewing him between flowers that floated in strings like ribbons
behind the boat.
The ollitas arcing, spilling him home.
His friend spreading the rest of him on the water’s surface
like a blessing and a reassurance
that we are never lost to the world we are a part of.
The birds, who know this, watched
as he was reborn to water, hyacinth and air.
Under a falling sun, we watched him swell his being,
the beginning of that journey to every shore
of this lake that he once gave back to and now
has given his all to.
Rest in peace, dear friend, lover, father, uncle, brother.
We share you with the world.
*Chapala was founded in 1538. The town may have taken its name from Chapalac, one of its earliest Indian chiefs. Or perhaps it came from the Nahuatl “Chapatla,” the “place where pots abound,” referring to the primitive local practice of appeasing the gods by throwing pots, spotted with blood from earlobes, into Lake Chapala. These little pots, called “ollitas” have washed up to the shores from the lake, especially during the years when the lake receded greatly. Years ago, Jay did a project where he had school children write messages which he rolled into tight cylinders, waterproofed and placed in ollitas that friends had found along the lake or purchased from locals. They then took them out in a boat and returned them to the lake. We took the remaining ollitas that we found in his house along with others contributed by friends and thought it was a fitting tribute to fill them with Jay’s ashes and return both him and the ollitas to the lake, along with the words sent to us by his friends and family.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Lovely.
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What a sweet tribute.
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It was a beautiful day and felt right.
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Pingback: For Jay, April 23, 1947––December 14, 2020 | lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown
A lovely way to celebrate his life.
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What a beautiful way to celebrate the life of a good friend! Thank you for sharing this day with us!
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You are very welcome, Janet.
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A beautiful rendering of a lovely send-off
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I don’t know why the photos weren’t in good focus. They are fine on my computer. I redid them in a higher resolution and they still aren’t perfectlly focused..or maybe it is my eyes???
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They were fine on mine, Judy
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Thanks for letting me know. Perhaps I need a trip to the eye dr.?
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Maybe
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I hear Britain has a new vaccine, Derrick. Are you going to be vaccinated?
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I will have to wait my turn. 78 is not top priority
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What a wonderful tribute to your friend. My deepest condolences.
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Sorry for your loss, Judy. Such a fitting ceremony and tribute for your friend.
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Thanks, Tracy…
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My condolences on the loss of a friend. What a beautiful tribute!
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Thanks, Regina. He was a very private man but I think he would have enjoyed the day. I explained to him what I thought would be appropriate and he agreed all the way.
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Beautiful tribute, Judy. I love ritual and tradition, myths and legends. This post touches all, and, of course, the sorrow of losing a friend.
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Thanks, Judy–one who knows how after awhile, feelings just tend to come out in words.
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This was really touching. And thank you for the explanation at the end so at least I understood what your context was. And the pictures are beautiful.
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Thanks, Marilyn. Sometimes notes are necessary.
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Lovely tribute. Night Herons look like the right birds to have at a funeral
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Exactly.. but then the egrets and pelicans were uplifting.
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My condolences on the loss of your friend, Judy.
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Thanks, Dolly.
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