She's Baaack!

Well at least I hope so.

I did a lot while I was in the islands. But the most important thing was putting Mom's ashes out to sea. A dear friend of ours took these pictures.

Her urn along with various personal items that we placed into a basket.

Family and friends gathered at Morgan's Mango on St. John to remember her life

 More family and friends.

My sister Erva and I, accompanied by the brother we never had, John Shaffer. He's a fabulous guitarist as well as being a minister. We sang my parents song, "And the Angels Sing," as well as my mother's favorite song, "Amazing Grace."

My classmate, Sidney Comissiong who is head of surgery at the hospital in St. Thomas, took us out on his boat. Here is Erva and her boyfriend David preparing Mom's basket. We placed her urn in the basket along with many items that represented aspects of her life.

Erva and I preparing the orchids we tossed on the water. Orchids were Mom's favorite flowers.

Drinking a toast with Schaefer Beer, the beer she drank in the old days when she and her gal pals sat under the Gossip Tree and gossiped.

John saying a few words. The family monument, Carvel Rock, is in the background. Here is where my grandmother is buried and my father along with many friends. When Erva and I dropped her basket into the water it seemed to swim away as if searching for her loved ones.

Here's a little haiku I wrote.

Orchids grace the waves

She swims away, a turtle,

Seeking her beloved.

All in all it was a lovely day. A joyous conclusion to a long and joyous life.

And the Angels Sing