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They handed us your things

in trash bags.

The Deputy Sheriff of Upson County Georgia said,

FAA was done with them,

we could have them now.

I don’t know what I expected,

but it wasn’t trash bags,

maybe a box,

or parachutes torn, even dirty, but neatly folded,

out of respect for you,

and the magnitude, of our loss.

We set the bags in the back of the car,

went to your gravesite, said prayers.

It was sunny and hot,

there were new graves beside you,

and many of them had died young.

The painted rocks we left for you

sat around your headstone,

their colors and messages friendly and bright,

and the bluebird spinning, in the breeze,

It was lovely to be there, and feel your presence

near us once again.

Another 4 hours and we were

home in South Carolina,

we caught a bit of the NFL draft,

I did some grading,

Al went to bed.

Tomorrow when the air is fresh and clear,

I will go through what is in the bags.

It was too much for us to do, tonight.

I treasure the memory of your laughter.

4-24-26

This entry was posted on April 25, 2026 at 9:07 am and is filed under Family, grief. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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