The ashes of both my parents were scattered in a memorial garden without any markers. I don't consider myself sentimental in this regard but as I get older I find myself envying those people who have some small physical memorial to visit to remember their loved ones. It's a nice tradition even though, as you say, the departed have a firm place in our memories. Mind you, even if such a memorial did exist, I suspect I wouldn't be a frequent visitor. More an appealing idea than a compelling reality.
As far as hospitals are concerned, as a healthcare worker for some 30 years, it always impressed me how vastly different it felt to go through those doors as a worker, arriving for a shift, or as a patient/visitor yourself. The difference between being an "insider" and an "outsider."
The ashes of both my parents were scattered in a memorial garden without any markers. I don't consider myself sentimental in this regard but as I get older I find myself envying those people who have some small physical memorial to visit to remember their loved ones. It's a nice tradition even though, as you say, the departed have a firm place in our memories. Mind you, even if such a memorial did exist, I suspect I wouldn't be a frequent visitor. More an appealing idea than a compelling reality.
ReplyDeleteAs far as hospitals are concerned, as a healthcare worker for some 30 years, it always impressed me how vastly different it felt to go through those doors as a worker, arriving for a shift, or as a patient/visitor yourself. The difference between being an "insider" and an "outsider."
Cheers, Doug