The weekend was good.

I mean, it was sad too. Yesterday I shed some tears for sure when we were sprinkling Grandpa’s ashes at the base of a tree.

But it’s been overall really good. We stood in a circle and remembered him in stories, and a couple of songs, and then we scattered his ashes under the same tree where five years ago they scattered Granny’s.

Then we all got back in our cars and drove to a Hibachi/sushi restaurant, and had a lively meal, laughing and telling more stories, joking and catching up with each other. I’ve got a cousin who lives in LA, and a cousin in Washington, DC, and others in New Jersey, and other than Facebook posts, I don’t see them often.

I miss home for sure (even though it’s only been three days, I know, I’m a homebody!), but I’m so glad I was able to come down to New Jersey for this trip. There is nothing like being there, physically being in the same room and being able to talk to and hug family.

It’s so strange how the phases of our lives switch, and go from one to another. This new phase has begun, the one without Granny and Grandpa. We can no longer ask them questions about “what happened back then?” We are lucky that these two were so diligent about documenting things, for sure, so that we have annotated family video from the 1950’s, and memoirs, and photos, and genealogy work. But, they are now gone. They have become ash, and our memories.

Now my father, and his sister and brother, will take on the role of Elders of the family. They will be the grandparents. Myself, my brother and our cousins move up too and become parents, the middle generation. And the next one will come along. As it always has.

Yup.

Anyway. Today we’re on our way home, back to Canada, back to Nova Scotia, and then back to Cape Breton. Sweet! Can’t wait!