Friday, September 01, 2006

Mark's Gifting Day

Mark's family recently said good-bye to him as they spread his ashes in the Goulais River. Claudia was thoughtful and considerate enough to share that day with us by providing photos and the poem she wrote for the occasion..


==================================
Body and Soul

Tumbling, playful waters
that were central to his life,
take our son, our brother
on a final journey.
Wrap him in the clarity he sought,
enfold him in the joyous promise
of union with deeper water
expanding,
purposeful,
that will touch shores
distant beyond all imagining,
embrace them,
then move on,
marking the rhythm
of life
the ebb and flow
and of love
the presence and absence
of loved ones’
eternal traces.
Claudia Greenwood
8/26/06

===============================



Sunrise on Gifting Day



The rapids south of Whitman dam on the Goulais River.



The gifting pool, start of the journey.


As the crow flies, the Goulais Bay is about 30 miles from here. The river twists and turns into a much longer journey.



Leaving the rapids, entering the calm, peaceful water of the Goulais.



Letting go...



Footprint of time.



View of Goulais Bay, Isle Parisienne, and Lake Superior from the top of Bellevue Mountain, downriver from Whitman Dam.




Best friends. Mom, Dad, and Glynn



Family



Next generation river runner, Brody.


Quiet at the end of the day. Bruce with Chi and Isabel. [Note the tiny jeans drying on the line. Brody just had to sit in the river at the rapids.]