White Orchids Off Maui, A Whale's Tail, And Sunrise Over The Volcano

Hello friends,

I thought you'd all enjoy the following e-mail I got from Nadine Semerau, who was kind enough to spread some gorgeous white orchids in the waters off of Maui, in memory of our beautiful Lori.
~~~~~~~~~

Dear Cary,

The sunrise paddle was breathtaking this morning.



When we reached a spot when the sun was high enough over Haleakala so the flowers could be seen, each paddler in the canoe (there were six of us) took a handful of the burgundy and white orchids and one person at a time tossed them into the water saying “This is for Lori.”



The current was moving towards the sunrise so we had thought the flowers would go that direction, but they came back to the boat and then formed a line in front of us. It was beautiful.



After a few minutes, we started to paddle again when suddenly a whale in the distance put up her huge tail and went into the water. It was just as if Lori had planned it that way.



This was the sunrise at the end of our paddle, one of the more beautiful sunrises I have seen while living in Hawaii.



You were both in our thoughts and prayers today.

Sincerely,

Nadine Semerau

www.waileapaddlers.com

Join The "Flowers For Lori" Memorial Group On Flickr!

Hi everybody,

For those of you who are interested, we now have an official Flowers For Lori group on flickr, where people across the globe can come together to share their impromptu "floral memorials" for Lori.

I hope all of you fellow flickrites will join in... and maybe even a few non-flickrites will decide to get in on the fun––flickr is free, so no reason not to join!

And make sure you check out the cool Group Map, so you can follow Lori's legacy around the world... don't forget to click the pink buttons on the map.

It is my hope that this lovely new group will be active for years to come. I certainly plan on placing flower memorials for my dear wife whenever I get the chance, and in all corners of the globe.

All the best,
C.

We Love You Lori!

Flowers For Lori, A Meditating Mutt, And A Pair Of Angel's Wings

Some people are simply too kind...

I was recently in an e-mail conversation with Amy Scher, who blogs at Healthcare Hacks (and is currently in India receiving Embryonic Stem Cell treatment for her own chronic illness,) when I mentioned that India was one of the next places that Lori & I had hoped to travel to.

Not missing a beat, Amy offered to pick some flowers for Lori and place them in a lovely spot in Hauz Khas village in New Delhi, as a sort of impromptu memorial. I told her Lori's favorite colors (burgundy, reds, and purples,) and a day later she sent back these wonderful photos.

As Amy so graciously put it "You and Lori are both in my heart -- so you can never say you didn't go to India together."

Thank you so much Amy... you absolutely made my week.

The appearance of the meditating mutt, not to mention the "angel's wings" in the clouds, pretty much guarantees that Lori was there in spirit. We love you Lori!

Welcoming In The New Year, And Taking A Short Break

Hi Friends: without going into a long, drawn-out explanation right here (you can see the post I wrote last night on my personal blog for more details,) I am feeling a need to take a break from my dear wife's Memorial Project...

This isn't something that comes easy to me, but the reality is that the depth of my despair over the loss of My One True Love is currently so powerful that I can not bear to torture myself with the wonderful memories I have of our past.

While some day (possibly even soon,) I hope to reach a personal space where my wife's legacy leaves me feelings of nothing but Love & Grace, right now, my emotions are so raw that the process is tearing me apart.

This past Sunday, in my darkest hour I reached out for some guidance, and amazingly it was there (see this post for more.) So, beginning next week I will be attending a 14-week Workshop aimed at Completing Grief–––as I understand it, it's basically a goal-oriented step-by-step approach to processing the full extent of your pain and loss during bereavement.

Thank God for small miracles... I need someone to hold my hand through this one, and the incredible woman I would normally turn to in such a grave situation is the very one who is physically missing form my life.

Lori left me an amazing Legacy of Love, and I plan on fully living up to that legacy by learning to both honor her incredible and irreplaceable presence in my life, and simultaneously striving to move beyond the pain of loss and back out into the light of her love.

Wishing You All A Happy New year,
God Bless,
Cary