April 22nd - Earth Day

We didn’t realize that it was Earth Day, but we are so happy we chose April 22nd, for Joseph’s burial. We love that we can forever lock them together. 

It was exactly as he wanted; the weather was wonderful, we were just enough people, the site was perfect, the funeral company just right and the small get-together afterwards in the parkland across from home was a lovely ending.

The funeral company asked for six strong people to lift the casket.  A bit tricky when you are allowed 15 people (outside funerals) and two of those spots are taken up by funeral personnel and four spots taken up by teeny tiny children. Luckily of the othe seven we had Mischa, Pablo, John and Michael ... and then ... up popped Billie and Jasper to help.

Michael read his beautiful poem, Cassia struggled through her beautiful tribute to her Dad, Mischa read his letter of lessons his dad taught him ...to do ... and not to do, Jasper asked to speak and said a perfect goodbye to his Grandpa and Billie remembered how Grandpa would always drive with just one hand on the wheel and she wanted that mentioned. I read the last two verses of “Funeral Blues” by W.H.Auden, one Jospeh had asked me to read and that said it for me anyway.

We placed our memories on top of the cardboard coffin and left.

We setup in the parklands across from our building, at the back of the Winnebago and we raised our glasses to him and knew he would have enjoyed it all.  We had nibbles and drinks (alcohol no worries here in Aus) and lollies and the kiddies ran and kicked the ball and we sat and stayed for three hours... until the police came (they left us when we explained) but it was time to go anyway. For such a sad day, it was a good day.

... and still the tributes come in. This man, who had me next to him being so loud and dominating most conversations, had in the seven years we were back, been quietly going about volunteering and making friends and making more of an impact here than I could in my lifetime! He baited rats, he trudged through quicksand to monitor shorebirds, he planted trees, he picked up garbage, he walked for miles monitoring Mallee Fowl and he mapped Gluepot for birds because nobody had done it before. He did all that in the heat and the cold with the flies and the wind. 

He was a tad embarrassed that people thought him an expert in identifying birds - he knew how good the good ones really are, he knows most of them!  Sometimes his passion on a subject could overwhelm you and his beliefs so strong I would hold my breath at what he might say. But he never wavered.

... he is a better man than I am Charlie Brown!