Ashes to Ashes; Dust to Dust

From the Earth we were born...and to the Earth we shall return.

We buried my dad in the town where he was born, grew up and attended school.  And it's the town I lived in until I was two years old.  We drove by that corner house where I lived before the service and as we were doing that, I had a sudden recollection of a memory where I had walked to the corner and got scared and ran back to my dad.  He picked me up and lifted me to his shoulder.  I was safe from all harm that was beyond that corner.

We waited until the weekend, so we would have more time to make the trip there.  From where I live, it's a four hour drive.  It was a great plan...just what he wanted, to be back in the town he loved so much.  He was buried next to his grandmother and grandfather and in close proximity to his in-laws (my grandparents).

My dad was cremated.  His urn was darker oak with a country scene carved in the side.  A large oak tree along side a country road bordered by a fence (two wooden beams between two posts) leading to the sunset (or sunrise...depending on your perspective).  Mom was adamant that we would not put the urn directly into the ground, so we had an urn vault.

We spent a day figuring out what we should bury with Dad in that vault.  Here's the list for your enjoyment...

1.  My dad collected toy tractors.  We placed the toy replica of the first tractor that Dad ever drove (it was an Allis Chalmers...orange).
2.  My dad worked in auto parts for 51 years.  Most of those years for Ford Motor Company.  We placed a Ford can koozie.  And the newspaper article that featured him and his career.
3.  My dad loved Coca-Cola (classic).  We had a replica of a Coke can in the koozie.
4.  My dad loved music and he knew everything about music (artist, label, chart date, etc.) and would quote the stats relentlessly.  We placed the Billboard Top 1000 singles from 1955-1986 book.
5.  My dad loved Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra.  We saw them in concert three times...we met members of the orchestra.  We placed a picture of Andre and the song list from the last concert.
6.  My dad loved to play games and cards.  We placed a deck of cards (and just happened to be Andre Rieu too).
7.  My dad loved his family.  We placed a family picture from last Christmas.
8.  Finally...personal notes and pictures from the grandkids, mom and good friends.

The burial was lovely and filled with love from family and friends and it fit Dad to a tee.  What I didn't anticipate was my angst when we had to leave him behind.  I felt like that little girl again, letting go of my dad's hand and toddling out on my own, except he wasn't there to run back to and be lifted up on his shoulder.