It was a hot and humid day in Toronto. I'll let you pause a moment to reflect on that revelation. (That's sarcasm. Summers are always hot and humid in Toronto.)
A bunch of cousins, some of whom I'd never met before, met at the church in Longbranch. It was noon, I think, so the sun was really strong and the priest was running late so we had to wait outside for quite a while. It was July 3, 2010. Fifty-six years earlier, on this exact day, a Saturday in 1954, my mom and dad were married in this church. It seemed fitting to have a memorial there on that day.
Once we got inside we all appreciated being able to get out of the sun. The service was short, but it was really neat to be inside that little church and imagine what it was like in 1954 on their wedding day.
After the service we headed out to the cemetery in Mississauga. We had a small wooden box containing a portion of mom's ashes and the cemetery had excavated a small hole over my grandfather's grave for us to place her ashes in. Aunt Denise put the box in and then every took a rose and placed it in the hole or leaning against the headstone.
The next stop was a gathering at my cousin Nicole's house. They have a lovely big home with a large yard and pool and SHADE! It was really nice. There were lots of people there, lots of visiting, and everyone was glad to be able to get together, even though it was kind of a sad occasion.
I had made a DVD of pictures and music for mom's funeral in Calgary, and I brought several copies to Toronto to share with family there. We gathered in the house and watched it. My uncle John was quite emotional and my cousins (Denise's kids) were too, when they saw their dad's picture in there. He died suddenly in 1998. My cousin Andre saw a picture of his dad, my uncle Jack, that he had never seen before. They all really enjoyed it and were glad I put that together.
Oh, yes, can't forget this. Andre's wife Judy was there that day. She was beautiful. Attractive, friendly, and fun, and I got a nice picture of her standing there smiling. Several months ago she passed away unexpectedly. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was in hospital starting treatment, presumably chemotheraphy, when she had an adverse reaction to something and suffered organ failure. That just hit me in the gut. It seemed so wrong and unfair that someone so vibrant was gone so fast. The cancer wasn't terminal, but the treatment was. I still ache about that. What a devastating loss. They had a son and a daughter, both married, and a young grandson. :(
I had the chance to visit with my cousins and some of their friends in the shady back yard and I told them about my trip so far and the church history sites I planned to see. I think it surprised them that someone in this day and age still felt religion had a place in every day life! It was good discussion.
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