You can click the photo for a larger image. The text along the bottom reads "Our unique precious gift bless us because of who he was. His touch, smile, & eyes showed so much love" (written by my wife).
The picture board (made by my uncle) has held up really well and the photos haven't faded noticeably which is pretty amazing. We had to give the grave marker a scrub and a wash when we gathered there on his 'heaven anniversary' last month.
On that note, we didn't do much on August 2nd. We met for a short time at Josiah's grave with care givers, friends, and family and then spent the rest of the afternoon at my uncle and aunt's house. It was low-key event with only a little time spent on sharing memories and reflecting. I don't think many of us were in the mood to swap stories: we just needed to be together on that day.
Our two trees planted in memory of Josiah at Mill Lake have survived the summer. After watering them daily - yes, daily - through our scorching summer I think it's safe to say our 9:00 PM watering excursions across town are done for 2010. For those who aren't familiar with the We(s)t Coast, the monsoon season lasts from September to May ;)
The Japanese Maple did very well this summer. I'd guess that it added nearly a foot in growth and an inch or so in diameter across the base of the trunk.
The dwarf Albertan spruce - aka "a shrub" - didn't fair as well. It's location at the top of the service path near the pool meant that it was covered by a large cedar (?) tree eliminating most rain water. Further, it was daily blasted by afternoon / evening sun leaving one side a little brown and thin. But it survived and added a little growth so that's what matters.
I was often surprised how few people actually stopped to ask us what we were doing as we watered the trees. You gotta admit, this was a little unusual looking.
PS: did a re-read tonight and realized that the "... Seven Months" in the title might be confusing. It refers to a blog post I made approximately 7 months ago. Sorry if I threw you off :)
Grace & Peace
- Andrew
5 comments:
God Bless you, your amazing strength, your blinding love......I stand in awe of your perseverance
I am glad to see the trees did well, ours has fared well also! What a beautiful memorial of Josiah's life you have created, both at the park and grave side. I love Marie's quote on the marker, he truly blessed so many of us!!
Love and prayers for you guys!!
What a beautiful marker. I crie when I saw this.
Hugs and love-
Jen, Mike and caleb
Love the grave marker with his cute little footprints and six little piggies, so sweet! What a blessing he was to so many!
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