Saturday, September 6, 2008

Some stuff and goodbye...

After getting up early to take care of some stuff, I just sat around and thought. I thought about The Gift story I shared with you guys back in January. Gordo and Ron were the other characters in that besides Kemp and myself. I don't know why I got up as early as I did, almost felt like I had to.

Gordo will be put to rest today. Not a church ceremony but a simple ceremony where people will paddle out at sunrise and form a circle. I don't know if there will be many or few. Once the circle is formed all those out there will slap the water with their flat hands five times. I really don't know what this signifies. At that point, someone will open the urn and scatter his ashes back into the ocean.

Gordo always kept the faith. Unlike Ron, Doug and myself he never moved inland. Never made the decision not to have the ocean in his everyday life. Never moved to Arkansas, Arizona or Vermont. He kept surfing breaks of size and with a certain degree of danger. Cold water, fog and the occasional Great White drive by. As far as we know we never heard about him getting married although there was mention of some scheme in marrying for money. Don't know how that played out... LOL

So this sunrise, about one hour from now as I write this, Gordo will go out for his last session. I will look out my window at the breaking morning sky think of that beach in Central California where my friend will exit, at least ceremonially. I'll see my vision get all blurry at the thought of him and feel the tears well up in my eyes. Aloha bro, thanks for the times and the stories......

6 comments:

Yamis Jewell said...

hugs

Parker said...

Bittersweet tears sting the eyes
rolling down my cheek I dip my head
kissing the still young rose in my hand
I gently take the petals and hold them
to be caught in the oceans breeze
carried with you as you fly
one last time.


(((((HUGS))))) to my SurferBoy

Bradley said...

Big hugs to you my friend.

I'm glad to see you have so many fond memories to help you through your mourning.

I love how you are able to write so well what your thinking, feeling and doing. You have a gift.

Kimala said...

D you and I seem to be reminded more often than necessary how short life is. We are so blessed by good friends. The beautiful words from each of the people above me remind me of that.

In so many ways I'm sad you didn't make that trip to CA to say goodbye. I hope the sunrise and the time to yourself yesterday a.m. allowed you to say goodbye in your own way.

If there is one thing I know about our lives, RL and SL, is that we are blessed by good friends and good fortune that runs much deeper than any magical suitcase of money. We were reminded that yet again just Friday evening when we learned fateful news of our nameless/faceless neighbor.

Thank you for sharing about the ceremony. It further reminds me that the spirit and the higher power that guides us is way bigger than the contrived notion of religion that causes so much of the ridiculousness in our world.

91225

bigd Flanagan said...

Thanks for th hugs and the comforting words. You guys are class people through and through. I'm wealthy as hell....

Parker said...

BigD, to steal a quote from a Jimmy Stewart movie, you are "the richest man in town".