Have you given any thought about what will become of your body after you die? 
By nature, I favor the idea of giving mine up for scientific study, 
feeling particularly beholden to the man whose cadaver provided Alan’s first insight into how things look within the human body. 
(*This was before Body Worlds and similarly incredible Human Body Museums existed; if you ever get a chance to visit one, I highly recommend it!) 
My parents were cremated and requested that their ashes be mingled and scattered to the winds where they courted and wed: The very Rocky Mountains.
Sad, but very romantic. As a family, we fulfilled that behest, 
and it seemed perfectly in character to watch them floating away
as free as larks on the mountain breezes! 
Alan and I have definitely considered having our ashes mingled and scattered 
on Lake Superior somewhere, but we’re still thinking, 
because many people favor a burial site where loved ones can come to mourn. 
My relatives are from Colorado, and my siblings scattered to the four corners of America, so visiting cemeteries was never on my Memorial Day “to do” wishlist, 
but Jonathan really wanted to see where his progenitors were buried, 
and so one of the last things we did on our Roots Tour was stop at the family burial plots for Alan’s parents, who both lived and died in the U.P. 
We also visited with two of Alan’s cousins to gather information
and hear some of the stories again. 
There is definitely something very stirring and therapeutic/provocative
in learning about our roots. 
In every family, there’s a mix of noble and ignoble, 
but I think most of us feel a deep need to connect with our past at some point. 
One particularly heartening idea for keeping connections with the past “present” resulted from visiting Phyl and Oren, who have been living fountains of blessing. 
For some years, Phyl has had a ministry of making fabulous holiday greeting cards using pictures from Facebook. 
We have been the blessed recipient of some of those cards,
and I consider them a family treasure! 
Phyllis also made dozens of cards for her sweet husband, 
which they kept in a box. Now, here’s the exciting part! 
Recently, Oren’s memory has been slipping badly, 
but Phyllis keeps the box of cards right beside Oren’s favorite chair, 
and every day he looks through those cherished cards, remembering happy times 
with his family, which helps to keep his memories fresher. 
Do you have old greeting cards that you haven’t known what to do with?
I did, but now I’m gathering them up in a drawer for “future reference,” 
and when Alan and I are old and (even) grayer, we’ll be able to take them out
and remember the happy days of yesteryear. Sound like a plan?
“And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.” (Psalm 77:10-12)
(*Picture of Body Worlds from Chicago’s exhibition information,
and all the pictures of Phyl and Oren’s family are from her Facebook page! 🙂 )
