A WAVE does not ask to be remembered when it recedes into the ocean and melts back into the sea … neither does a grainy bit of beach sand.
Made of similar matter we humans, however, want to leave our mark and it can seem disrespectful when the memory of someone is neglected. It is the magic of our remembering that keeps people from the past alive.
We were here and we want that acknowledged. So we name everything from bridges to airports to roads and buildings after larger than life figures who had monumental impact in our world and perhaps great wealth.
In recent years we found different ways to commemorate the less known that touched our hearts more personally. Most of the parks I visit nowadays have benches and many have plaques.
Currently I believe a basic bench, along with a plaque, requires a donation of three thousand dollars to the City of Surrey. This ensures the bench will be maintained for ten years after which there is a renewal fee.
The plaque to the left reads, "
Tis a simple seashell, one out of which the pearl has gone. The shell was nothing, leave it there; the pearl - the soul - was all, is here."
In another visit to Crescent Beach I rested my back on a plaque that says,
"Warm summer sun shine kindly here. Warm summer wind blow softly here."
In words as few as a modern day Tweet, what would you say about yourself or a loved one and where would you etch such a special note?
I wonder if I could craft a message that is as poignant and concise as the one above that says,
"The magic of our love will forever dance."
The wording on most benches strives to be uplifting and imaginative. Plaques are gifts placed where all are welcome to sit and contemplate, enhanced by a desire to inspire while keeping the memory of a loved one alive.
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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms
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I didn't realize it cost that much to place a plaque on a bench and have it maintained for ten years...but it sounds reasonable to me for someone special. I too enjoy reading the plaques on benches I find in parks here.
ReplyDeleteThey seem be everywhere these benches. Something I did not know about renewing it after so many years. It is a great way to remember a loved one. Great images!
ReplyDeleteGreat way to leave a tribute for a loved one. Good photographs and thoughtful post. I've noticed similar plaques on benches in parks where I live.
ReplyDeleteI dropped by your other blog, and to see that red barn brings me ache...a good ache. A good memory, along with all of the great photos that you have on todays post. I love the benches, and was always reading them as I walked by. They are lovely tributes to wonderful people who enjoyed the park.
ReplyDeleteJen
This is what Dick wants. He has picked a spot, a short distance off the path where he and Lindy walk every day. He likes to leave the path and go to the place where he wants the bench, because it has a nice view of the coulee there. Lindy, however, thinks they should just stay on the path. Can't teach an old dog new tricks.
ReplyDeleteIf it is ever possible to have a memorial bench built at that spot, I think I'd have to make it in memory of Dick and Lindy. Neither of them is sick yet, but they're about the same age, using the old-fashioned formula for "dog years".
Hi to your family, and any of mine you happen to see (like Jasper, for instance).
Luv, K
A great post for the day and a wonderful way to leave a tribute for a loved one!! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to remember someone!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteThese are all over my city too - good fundraisers and a way to remember somebody lost.
ReplyDeleteLovely post on 'honoring our loved ones' ~ and love the bench photo series ~ thanks, carol, xxx
ReplyDeleteGreat shots!
I always like seeing those tributes on benches or in public gardens. When it's a place the person loved, it really means a lot more than so many other things the family could do.
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered how much they cost -- I'm sure it varies from place to place but I've never seen anyone say anything about the cost before.
I'm not sure what I would want it to say, but I would rather have a park bunch in a beautiful spot as a memorial than a tombstone! Much more useful and appreciated, I would think. I enjoy reading them on my walks.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post! I love the scenic view! The bench is in a perfect spot. Have a happy week!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful words to remember a life gone by.
ReplyDeleteTo know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
ReplyDeleteRalph Waldo Emerson
Thanks Maria
I think I'd find it hard to know what to say, but, like you, I love to read what others have written.
ReplyDeleteI have missed your poetic imaginings and unique eye, Penelope. Plaques on benches have long intrigued me and you seemed to zero in on some especially poignant expressions of loving memory. The one beginning "Tis a simple seashell.." put words to an idea that had been floating around in my head for a while. As always, your post has inspired thought and left beauty in its wake.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the donation for a memorial bench is a good idea. I find myself searching for the touching words which is uplifting or which just fit to my emotion at the moment. I’d like to sit and think on the bench overlooking the sea.
ReplyDeleteYoko
I'm commenting about your other blog here cuz I can't find a place to do so there! Loving the ducks and heron with their dreads in...for the longest time after we came to Florida it thought I was seeing two different herons! when I was looking at one with his neck in and then stretched up,
ReplyDeletenice country and I love the green bench. :)
ReplyDelete