ashes to ashes
Jun. 29th, 2007 01:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
boodieYesterday while packing stuff up, I was cleaning off the shelf above my bed, this is where I keep some of my most important stuff, I inadvertantly made my friend look at me very strangely and laugh his head off when I said;
"I must remember to take Mum and put her in bubblewrap before I put her in a box"
Of course I was talking about the little box of Mums' ashes that I keep on the shelf, but we both laughed lots when I realised how strange it would have sounded to a complete stranger.
And then I was reminded about the antics of a distaff relative of my Mums, her second or third cousin twice removed.
Elsie was a very big family woman, she had two daughters, Rosa and Betty, they tended to do everything together, even after the two girls had moved out and married and had children of their own, as happens, Elsie got old and when she eventually died, she had said that she wanted to be buried, like a good catholic, unfortunately neither Rosa or Betty were well off, and Rosa didn't leave much in the way of an estate, so as an upshot they couldn't afford to have her buried, she she was cremated.
Rosa always felt guilty about that, so to assuage her guilt, she and Betty divided the ashes up into three parts, one part was kept at the old family home, and then Rosa and Betty each had a small vase of Elsies ashes, now that isnt that strange, Betty kept hers in a small glass fronted cabinet next to a small picture of her Mother.
Rosa, now Rosa on the other hand felt so guilty that they hadn't been able to bury their Mum like she wanted, that in order to compensate she started taking Elsies ashes around with her, everywhere, in a small sealed jar in her handbag, there wasn't anywhere that Rosa didn't take those ashes.
When Rosa and her husband went overseas, Elsie went with them, and she took pictures of the jar in various tourist spots, the most fitting was the picture of the jar of ashes sitting on a pyramid in Egypt, somewhat more incongruous was the jar being held by a smiling Rosa in front of the Eifel Tower.
Rosa's husband was a builder and about fifteen years after Elsie died he built Rosa a brand new house, and she got him to build a small room especially for Elsies ashes, in the room was a picture of jesus, one of mary magdalene, a crucifx, a small heater and a chair and Rosa would spend a few hours each day in the room talking to her Mother.
My Mother who was always charitable, said that Rosa just missed her Mother, my Nan said that Rosa was barking mad, this was highlighted when Rosa died and she specified that her ashes were to be mixed with her Mothers and that they were to kept in the room in the house, and then when Betty died she had her ashes mixed with her Mothers.
I always had visions after hearing about that of subsequent generations all having their ashes mixed in this jar and the current unfortunate sod who was the custodian hoiking this jar of ancestors around the world showing them the sights so they 'wouldnt miss out'.
My Mum would come back and haunt me if I even thought about doing anything like that, she was very pragmatic about the whole death and afterlife thing.
"I must remember to take Mum and put her in bubblewrap before I put her in a box"
Of course I was talking about the little box of Mums' ashes that I keep on the shelf, but we both laughed lots when I realised how strange it would have sounded to a complete stranger.
And then I was reminded about the antics of a distaff relative of my Mums, her second or third cousin twice removed.
Elsie was a very big family woman, she had two daughters, Rosa and Betty, they tended to do everything together, even after the two girls had moved out and married and had children of their own, as happens, Elsie got old and when she eventually died, she had said that she wanted to be buried, like a good catholic, unfortunately neither Rosa or Betty were well off, and Rosa didn't leave much in the way of an estate, so as an upshot they couldn't afford to have her buried, she she was cremated.
Rosa always felt guilty about that, so to assuage her guilt, she and Betty divided the ashes up into three parts, one part was kept at the old family home, and then Rosa and Betty each had a small vase of Elsies ashes, now that isnt that strange, Betty kept hers in a small glass fronted cabinet next to a small picture of her Mother.
Rosa, now Rosa on the other hand felt so guilty that they hadn't been able to bury their Mum like she wanted, that in order to compensate she started taking Elsies ashes around with her, everywhere, in a small sealed jar in her handbag, there wasn't anywhere that Rosa didn't take those ashes.
When Rosa and her husband went overseas, Elsie went with them, and she took pictures of the jar in various tourist spots, the most fitting was the picture of the jar of ashes sitting on a pyramid in Egypt, somewhat more incongruous was the jar being held by a smiling Rosa in front of the Eifel Tower.
Rosa's husband was a builder and about fifteen years after Elsie died he built Rosa a brand new house, and she got him to build a small room especially for Elsies ashes, in the room was a picture of jesus, one of mary magdalene, a crucifx, a small heater and a chair and Rosa would spend a few hours each day in the room talking to her Mother.
My Mother who was always charitable, said that Rosa just missed her Mother, my Nan said that Rosa was barking mad, this was highlighted when Rosa died and she specified that her ashes were to be mixed with her Mothers and that they were to kept in the room in the house, and then when Betty died she had her ashes mixed with her Mothers.
I always had visions after hearing about that of subsequent generations all having their ashes mixed in this jar and the current unfortunate sod who was the custodian hoiking this jar of ancestors around the world showing them the sights so they 'wouldnt miss out'.
My Mum would come back and haunt me if I even thought about doing anything like that, she was very pragmatic about the whole death and afterlife thing.
