The River
Last week I took a trip through Alberta and BC. I wasn't on vacation but the opportunity to escape from my day to day was welcome. Sometimes when I take these little trips I wonder if I'm running from something or running to something... or just running. I'll figure that one out eventually.
On my way back home I stopped in Waterton Lakes National Park. Waterton is part of an International peace park and extends into the US with an incredibly vast number of trails and beautiful old, upside down mountains dotted with glacier lakes, streams and waterfalls. I had always thought that it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen and felt so fortunate that it was a single day's car ride away from me.
One of the gifts that KB and I received for our wedding was a night at a resort in Waterton where our friend Stephanie was working. KB had never been to Waterton before but I knew she would love it and she did. I wish I was able to take a picture of her that would have captured her joy but as good as cameras are these days, they can't capture an emotion like that... not easily anyway. The images are in my mind and that's good enough for me. We had such a good time with each other there and we both knew that it would always be a special place for us to get away when we just needed a break from the world. Although she didn't say that it was what she wanted, I decided that some of her ashes should be spread in Waterton because it was such a special place for both of us.
Entering the gates was a bit overwhelming. The memories of the trip from last August came flooding back and the drive up to the Blakiston Falls trail head was spattered with chuckles and tears. Entering the forest everything became very still and quiet and it was almost like entering church. When KB and I had walked the trail we would stop at these points of stillness and just feel the forest around us and the closeness of each other. The ability to experience this with someone you love is a real gift and I don't know that Steph will ever really know how great her gift was. It wasn't just a place to stay it was an experience that I will never forget and an opportunity to share such peace and contentment with the person I love.
I finally reached the spot by the river just beyond the falls where KB and I had stopped almost one year earlier. This was the spot where I would take KB one last time. From this point the river would run East through Blakiston Falls and is fairly accessible for anyone who wants to visit.
I expected the ashes to disperse quickly in the water but that wasn't the case. The river clouded all around me and swirled and I could see currents in the river that weren't visible before. It seemed to be a fitting metaphor.
KB's life was like that. She seemed so small and her gentle kindness made it seem like she wouldn't be one of those people who would make such an impact in life but the complete opposite was true. It was her kind and gentle nature that made us see the currents in life that we normally wouldn't and even though her time was short she reached much further than I could have imagined. Even now she is touching people's lives when we tell our stories of her. Every time I get together with friends who knew her you can be sure that there will be laughter and a few tears when we remember her. That will never change I'm sure because even seven months later I still feel the hurt of losing her and the joy of knowing that for a moment, like the stillness of the forest, I stood in the still, perfect calm of love.
On my way back home I stopped in Waterton Lakes National Park. Waterton is part of an International peace park and extends into the US with an incredibly vast number of trails and beautiful old, upside down mountains dotted with glacier lakes, streams and waterfalls. I had always thought that it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen and felt so fortunate that it was a single day's car ride away from me.
One of the gifts that KB and I received for our wedding was a night at a resort in Waterton where our friend Stephanie was working. KB had never been to Waterton before but I knew she would love it and she did. I wish I was able to take a picture of her that would have captured her joy but as good as cameras are these days, they can't capture an emotion like that... not easily anyway. The images are in my mind and that's good enough for me. We had such a good time with each other there and we both knew that it would always be a special place for us to get away when we just needed a break from the world. Although she didn't say that it was what she wanted, I decided that some of her ashes should be spread in Waterton because it was such a special place for both of us.
Entering the gates was a bit overwhelming. The memories of the trip from last August came flooding back and the drive up to the Blakiston Falls trail head was spattered with chuckles and tears. Entering the forest everything became very still and quiet and it was almost like entering church. When KB and I had walked the trail we would stop at these points of stillness and just feel the forest around us and the closeness of each other. The ability to experience this with someone you love is a real gift and I don't know that Steph will ever really know how great her gift was. It wasn't just a place to stay it was an experience that I will never forget and an opportunity to share such peace and contentment with the person I love.
I finally reached the spot by the river just beyond the falls where KB and I had stopped almost one year earlier. This was the spot where I would take KB one last time. From this point the river would run East through Blakiston Falls and is fairly accessible for anyone who wants to visit.
I expected the ashes to disperse quickly in the water but that wasn't the case. The river clouded all around me and swirled and I could see currents in the river that weren't visible before. It seemed to be a fitting metaphor.KB's life was like that. She seemed so small and her gentle kindness made it seem like she wouldn't be one of those people who would make such an impact in life but the complete opposite was true. It was her kind and gentle nature that made us see the currents in life that we normally wouldn't and even though her time was short she reached much further than I could have imagined. Even now she is touching people's lives when we tell our stories of her. Every time I get together with friends who knew her you can be sure that there will be laughter and a few tears when we remember her. That will never change I'm sure because even seven months later I still feel the hurt of losing her and the joy of knowing that for a moment, like the stillness of the forest, I stood in the still, perfect calm of love.
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