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Flat tire on Salvation Mountain

Monday, July 11, 2011

Caught and Released

We released mother Ruth back into the large pond where all life originates yesterday. In the midst of her loving family, friends and caretaker, Leslie and Andrew poured her lavender colored ash into the mighty Pacific. We are indebted to our great friends and hosts for taking us out on their fine vessel.

We left under a slight marine layer. The ocean had a bit of a chop. It was nice to feel the wind and moisture on my face. We made our way out for several miles, a large old sailing ship on the horizon.

A seal popped up out of the water and let us know that we had reached our destination. Then a small pod of dolphins arrived.

We sat on the stern and talked about the importance of Ruth Sherman Gellman in our life. Each of us shared a story and cast a rose in the water. Some tales were happy and some tales were sad. We laughed and we cried. But we had ample evidence that this woman had somehow touched everyone on the boat in a very dramatic way. Her strength, her long standing grace, against the most tenacious and certain of opponents. We all felt incredible sadness when we heard her caretaker Flor share the immense pain of losing her loving friend and companion. Not a dry eye in the house. I didn't have to translate. Some things transcend speech. I think that there was a general acknowledgement on board that Ruth was now free and that it was indeed time. She had equipped herself splendidly in her battle on this earth.


Leslie had picked a piece of music from Mozart for our voyage. As she and her brother prepared to cast off their mother's remains into the sea, the music's crescendo mysteriously turned to its highest volume, although it had never actually been touched by human hand.  It was a beautiful sending off and final release. We toasted this incredible mother and friend with several bottles of fine champagne and finally returned to the rest of our lives. We motored under the bow of the Midway and back to our individual afternoons.



I think that I can speak for the whole family in thanking you all for your generous outpouring of support. This has been a difficult time for us and your words and letters mean so much to the extended Gellman family.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi to all of you, thanks for sharing, wished I would have been with all of you. I did not know when you would release her ! But I went on a beautiful walk in the woods and on top of a little mountain overlooking the Valley I live in and where Ruth wanted to come and join me here in Austria. I had a great talk with her and thanked her for being such an outstanding friend and the memory of our friendship will always be with me.
Leslie you know any time you, Robert and Andrew and Family you are always welcome here at my house in Austria. If I do not see you here, I should be back some times at the end of October and I will be in touch.
Love and a big HUG. Hanna

Helen Killeen Bauch McHargue said...

What a fabulous send off for your mother-in-law! A great sunny day on the water, the music, the champagne. I'm sure she would/did love it. My sympathy on your loss but it sounds like she'll always
be honored and in your hearts.

Anonymous said...

From H.


"A Parable of Immortality" by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing on the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her
white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength and I stand and watch
until at last she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the
sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone
at my side says, "There she goes!".

Gone where? Gone from my sight...that is all. She is just as large
in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and
just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of
destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just
at the moment when someone at my side says, "There she goes",
there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout "Here she comes!"