Pam is a hospice nurse and when she lost her son, Ryan to cancer, I knew it would be tough.  When Ryan died in May, 2008, she fulfilled her son’s wishes to be cremated and celebrated his life on a sunny June Sunday afternoon at Broad Ripple Park.  Seems that Pam had spent a lot of sunny afternoons with Ryan, as a child, at Broad Ripple Park and it was one of his favorite places to go.  What an appropriate place this would be to share remembrances and celebrate his life.

As I walked toward the shelter at the Park on that sunny Sunday afternoon, I could not help but put myself in Pam’s shoes and the tears started flowing.  The sounds and sites of kids playing on the swings, Frisbees flying, dogs barking and the smells of cookouts took me immediately back to the days I spent with my sons, Josh and Matt, in their younger years in a park.  Several times I turned back to the car to compose myself as I shared Pam’s grief in the loss of her son.

Ryan’s body has been cremated, but his memories will live on and were celebrated and appreciated by the huge gathering of people that attended the memorial service on that sunny day in the park.  This will always be a special remembrance of a life to me.