Recently, it was determined that one of our trees was so sick that it needed to be cut down. It took minutes to eliminate a tree that had stood there for years. I wasn’t around when the truck arrived to cut it down, but reports say it was gone quickly.

My Dad famously used the dash between dates when speaking at a funeral. He would point out that the dates on a grave marker, say 1900 – 1980, noted the date of birth and the date of death but their entire lives, the story of family and work and relationships, is summed up in that little dash. It seems inadequate when you think of all that is in one solitary life. Think of your life! Think of all the meals you have eaten, the people who have sat with you through good and bad times, the days of rain or snow or sunshine. Think of the vacations and maybe the moves from one city to another. There is so much of life represented by that dash.

And so I looked at the small stump left behind (it too will disappar soon) and the rings so visible to anyone who stops to look.

On Saturday, we will gather in Toronto to say goodbye to Freda, my aunt and my Mom’s sister. It will be lovely to see family we have not seen in years, but too it will also be nice to stop and remember that her life is reflected in those who gather. We have memories of her smile, her good Eastland laugh, and her many talents.