The Sacredness of the Ordinary

Around the world, people have objects close to their hearts that are actually just ordinary things seen in everyday life. Mine is not a tangible object, but it's something I draw on myself or on stray papers. Something that is close to my heart is five little birds in flight. You may ask, "Why is it important to you?"  to answer the question it symbolizes more than my love of animals. It symbolizes the family members that I've met in my life that have departed over the years.

Throughout my life, people from both sides of my family have passed away.  The first bird represents my maternal grandfather Charles “Papu” Kandres, who passed away on November, 19th 2004. The second bird represents my maternal great-grandfather John “Papa” Kandres, who passed on January 25th, 2007. The third bird represents my maternal great-uncle John “Uncle John” Kandres, who died on September 29th, 2008. The fourth bird represents my paternal great-grandmother Louise “Nana” Sawtell who passed on January 12th, 2012. Finally, the fifth and most current bird represents my paternal uncle Michael “Mike” Frizzell, who passed away on February 7th, 2015.

Though my life has had some sad times with their passings, I like to think positively and think that there in heaven. With them “flying” to heaven after they have died, and the reason behind Tris’s tattoo in Divergent, I started to associate them with birds. Birds have the ability of freedom to fly away from trouble, and have this majesty to them; which I believe fits well with souls going to heaven.

The number of birds I have close to will never go down. It is the harsh truth of death that once they’re gone they’re gone. However, as the 11th Doctor says, "Nothing is ever truly forgotten". The remembrance of people we love lives on in our hearts; all of our memories with them, good and bad, help make up the person we love and care about. We remember the trips we went on with them. We remember those happy moments that seem ordinary to some, but always seem to stick in your mind. It is always hard to lose a loved one, but if we reflect about our times with them, long or short, it can make the transition a bit easier.

When I get older, I would like to get a tattoo of the birds on my ankle. As time goes on, I will keep adding more birds when necessary, so by the time I die I will have a reminder that I’ll meet them again soon. I know that it sounds a bit weird, but it’s what I would personally like to do; have a permanent reminder of the past that symbolizes moving forward.

All in all, when you’re dealing with the loss of someone you love and the aftermath, it's important to think of the positive memories. From that ice-cream sundae at the nursing home to a family trip to Florida, we all have to cherish the good times and not reminisce so much over the bad times. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but the bad things in life don’t spoil the good things. For me, my memories of the people I love are in the simple flight of five birds.

Love always,

Erin