Saying Goodbye

Cliff, Grace, Margaret and Gene

We buried my uncle, Cliff yesterday.    He returned to the earth from which he came.  He loved to garden and created a small garden paradise on his city lot.  He understood the earth, the soil, the seasons.  His life was marked and bounded by his garden.  Near the end, his biggest concern was not being unprepared for death.  He was worried about his garden and how to harvest the fruit and vegetables he had so carefully tended.  He didn't want them to go to waste.

Despite the years between now and then, the family is still drawn together when it's time to say goodbye.  We remember Cliff fondly.  We remember how young and vibrant he was.  We remember the wonderful homemade ice cream he and Aunt Marianne brought to every picnic.  We remember his quiet laugh.  He was a bright star in the constellation of all our lives.  He's gone to join the other stars that have gone before him. 

As we say goodbye, we step closer to our own mortality.  In the faces of relatives, I look through the years to see the faces I remember.  They are hidden underneath layers of time.  We let go of our uncle, our friend, our brother, our father and we let go of the fiction that we will live forever.  We say goodbye and must accept that one day we will join him.    Goodbye, Cliff.    Rest peacefully.  We'll see you soon.