Today was the final session of the grief support group that Charlie and I have been working with through Optimal Hospice.  The children planned a memorial service for today’s meeting and invited family and friends to participate.  One of the things they wanted to do was a balloon release.  Participants tied a note to their loved on to a balloon.  We went to an open area, read a poem, listened to the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and then the balloons were released.  We were able to watch them for quite a while before they disappeared.
It was truly a privilege to work with this program and to hear the stories of the loved ones that these children have lost.  They are certainly gone, but not forgotten.  I leave this having a sense that I know these people who have passed along.  Through the stories and emotions that have been shared, they have become familiar to me even though we have never met.  That truly is the measure of someone’s character.  When you have such a profound impact on those you love that your life continues to go on through them… you have really left your mark.