Saying Goodbye

This weekend my siblings and I headed to the UP to spread my dad’s ashes. My dad was never a serious guy – he always found the humor and fun in whatever situation he was in. So, we threw a party on Saturday to celebrate his life and spread his ashes. Little did we know when we planned the party weeks ago, that the camp would end up being sold by my dad’s siblings and that this would be our last weekend there. We invited all of my dad’s closest friends and family and had a great time, ate good food and had lots of laughs.

When it was time to spread his ashes, everybody took a handful and went their separate ways. I went down by the lake and had a quiet moment with my dad before letting his ashes slip through my fingers. I held on for a long time, not ready to let him go. But when I eventually did, I finally felt like I had said goodbye and could move on. The whole experience was bittersweet, but I am so glad we did it. I think is was particularly hard because I not only had to say goodbye to my dad, but also to a place that so much of my childhood is tangled up in. I’m still heartbroken that my dad’s favorite place in the whole world will no longer belong to my family, but in time that will fade. The asking price is way too high for any of us to afford, and even if we could, we don’t get back to the UP often enough to even stay on top of the upkeep. I know its just a 'place', but still, it's so hard to let go.