My Father Passes
Happy Imbolc, everyone.
Congratulations this month to Catherine S., who received her Evergreen First Degree on January 3. Mighty blessings!
As some of you know, my father died on January 8. Although he became unresponsive a couple of days earlier, he’d been there before (albeit under the influence of medications), so I couldn’t be sure the end was near. Dad was at heart always a private person, so when he slipped away in the wee hours of that Friday morning, it was somehow appropriate that no one was with him. The hospice woke me about the time my clock radio would have gone off, so I took my normal ablutions, notified my office, and headed to the hospice to say goodbye, gather up his things, and wait for the funeral home to pick up the body.
Towards the end, he’d complained about a door being open behind him. Perhaps he sensed the nearness of the Gate, but ironically he was wheeled out through a very real door adjacent to, and behind, his room. He didn’t want a formal memorial, so I notified his brothers and my immediate family, and wrote a brief obit, accompanied by a 30-year-old picture of him. Margarian and I attended the cremation the following Tuesday (I pushed the button), picked up the urn the next day, and watched as it was interred in the niche at the cemetery. I’d a notion to do a weekend open house at the apartment, but its purpose was unclear, and I wasn’t sure who the audience would or should be… so it didn’t happen. Now it’s down to the practicalities, although Margarian’s continuing illness means I won’t be letting go of the apartment soon. Thanks again for your expressions of sympathy on his passing.
February's Birthdays: Mandy C., Margarian, Lana W., Tavey B, Selena, Megan, Bryn, Morgan, Sandra, Rikki, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Sybil Leek (Feb. 22). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.
February Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.
Feb. 2, 7:00 a.m. Groundhog Day Pancake Breakfast at Balzac Community Hall (take the Balzac exit, turn left, cross the railroad tracks, and there you are). Balzac Billy prognosticates at sunrise. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com
Feb. 4: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Feb. 6, 6:00 p.m. on: Calgary Kinky Pagan Mardi Gras Potluck at James and Samantha’s. Still a family-friendly event. Info: zara 1204 @ gmail dot com
Feb. 6, 7:00 p.m.: The Fates: Songs, Story, and Myth, at Knox Presbyterian Church, 3704 - 37 Street SW, with Vanessa Cardui, Linda Faye Miller, and Sora. Tickets: $12.00 through PayPal.
Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Feb. 12-14: COGCOA Winter Mysteries
Feb. 13, 7:51 p.m.: New Moon. Luis (Rowan) lunar month begins.
Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Feb. 28, 9:38 a.m.: Full (Snow) Moon.
Blessings,
Hergest
Congratulations this month to Catherine S., who received her Evergreen First Degree on January 3. Mighty blessings!
As some of you know, my father died on January 8. Although he became unresponsive a couple of days earlier, he’d been there before (albeit under the influence of medications), so I couldn’t be sure the end was near. Dad was at heart always a private person, so when he slipped away in the wee hours of that Friday morning, it was somehow appropriate that no one was with him. The hospice woke me about the time my clock radio would have gone off, so I took my normal ablutions, notified my office, and headed to the hospice to say goodbye, gather up his things, and wait for the funeral home to pick up the body.
Towards the end, he’d complained about a door being open behind him. Perhaps he sensed the nearness of the Gate, but ironically he was wheeled out through a very real door adjacent to, and behind, his room. He didn’t want a formal memorial, so I notified his brothers and my immediate family, and wrote a brief obit, accompanied by a 30-year-old picture of him. Margarian and I attended the cremation the following Tuesday (I pushed the button), picked up the urn the next day, and watched as it was interred in the niche at the cemetery. I’d a notion to do a weekend open house at the apartment, but its purpose was unclear, and I wasn’t sure who the audience would or should be… so it didn’t happen. Now it’s down to the practicalities, although Margarian’s continuing illness means I won’t be letting go of the apartment soon. Thanks again for your expressions of sympathy on his passing.
February's Birthdays: Mandy C., Margarian, Lana W., Tavey B, Selena, Megan, Bryn, Morgan, Sandra, Rikki, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Sybil Leek (Feb. 22). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.
February Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.
Feb. 2, 7:00 a.m. Groundhog Day Pancake Breakfast at Balzac Community Hall (take the Balzac exit, turn left, cross the railroad tracks, and there you are). Balzac Billy prognosticates at sunrise. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com
Feb. 4: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Feb. 6, 6:00 p.m. on: Calgary Kinky Pagan Mardi Gras Potluck at James and Samantha’s. Still a family-friendly event. Info: zara 1204 @ gmail dot com
Feb. 6, 7:00 p.m.: The Fates: Songs, Story, and Myth, at Knox Presbyterian Church, 3704 - 37 Street SW, with Vanessa Cardui, Linda Faye Miller, and Sora. Tickets: $12.00 through PayPal.
Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Feb. 12-14: COGCOA Winter Mysteries
Feb. 13, 7:51 p.m.: New Moon. Luis (Rowan) lunar month begins.
Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Feb. 28, 9:38 a.m.: Full (Snow) Moon.
Blessings,
Hergest
posted by Stephen Hergest at 4:34 pm
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