As many of you know, we’ve spent the past couple of weeks dealing with the loss of our best friend, our brother, and a son.
Our friend passed away on September 26th. His death – after 36hrs on West Coast- brought me back home to begin the mourning process with DH, our military family, our friend’s family and the greater community.
For many reasons I didn’t openly discuss the matter for a couple of days, and now that we’re back from Ottawa I’m ready to do some sharing.
Rather than write about it, I’m going to show some photos from the past 14 days that showcase my journey and experiences.
I don’t know when and if I’ll ever be able to write about how I feel or what these past two weeks have meant for me. And I’m OK with that. This photo essay will tell you more than I ever could, they’re snapshots from life and moments in time.
*edit – I was able to open up. Check out my post about –> Bell Let’s Talk Day <–
I received a call about 7 hours before I took this photo. After a 2hr nap I got up and went for a walk around English Bay in Vancouver to see the sunrise and look for some beauty.
After a 48 hrs at home we got in a car and drove to Ottawa to be with his family. We stayed at my family’s pied-à-terre, surrounded by history.
Breakfast & coffee: the biggest meal of the day.
Followed by dinner and a stiff drink.
The guys
A man’s best friend
en route to our final goodbye
Bagpipes = tears
The services were beautiful and very emotional. I know this won’t be our last trip to Beechwood to burry a loved one, but I can always hope that we’ve still got some time before our next one. We’ll be back to visit our friend whenever we pass through Ottawa, as I hope many others do.
From near and far we have felt such love and support from our families and community. It is truly heart warming to feel you all with us. At the end of the day we have each other, and that’s good enough for me.
We miss you.
Live boldly.
Thank you for sharing this Ariel. I don’t have much to say, as you mentioned yourself, I am at a loss of words to express the last two weeks. Stay strong and know that I, and many others, are only a phone call away. ????
Thanks Shona <3 I have definitely felt all the love and support from our community. Now, we drink!