MEMORIALS

On a wintery July day in Australia, I received a package on my front porch. It was a rose bush, spindly and spiky, as bare-root roses are. It was the Daniel Morcombe Memorial Rose, beautifully packaged, but there was no indication who had sent it. I did not solve the mystery, but planted it in my garden.

Yesterday I saw a TV interview with Daniel’s father and mother. Their 13 year old son, who would have been a young man now, had been abducted and murdered. Over the years, putting their unimaginable grief to practical use, these parents have created memorials in his memory. The rose is just one gesture. His parents have also written a book, and campaigned to have child safety programmes built into the school curriculum.

Another reminder of loss occurred yesterday. In Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, a cross-faith service was held to acknowledge all those who died when Malaysian airline MH17 was shot down over the Ukraine three weeks ago. Priests and pastors of various faiths spoke words of comfort. There was singing. Strangers came  together and were united by this random act of violence.

We have all lost a partner, a parent, sibling, relative, friend or pet. Illness, a random act of nature or war can change our lives in a moment. It’s exactly one year since Jessica, our beloved golden Labrador, was put to sleep. Another puppy has recently come to help fill that void. In my garden, Daniel’s rose bush is putting on its gleaming coppery foliage, ready for a summer blooming. We go on. My wish is that our memories will be loving, and that all who feel grief and sorrow may receive a gentle healing.