Scattering my wife's ashes in a maze of sunflowers

My wife passed away last September. It was Nicole's wish that her ashes be scattered in a sunflower field. Cremation of her body, however, took nearly six weeks, due to a line-up at the morgue. By the time I received her ashes, the sunflowers were all gone.

Eleven months later, two weeks ago, I saw a sunflower opening in a public garden and realized it was time. I contacted six farms. Kustermans' Adventure Farm, near London, Ontario, allowed me, my son and a few close friends of Nicole, to have a private scattering ceremony in their sunflower maze.

Singer/songwriter Pam Gerrand brought five newly emerged monarch butterflies to release, while she sang "Love is All" (a song Nicole had requested). I then read a poem, "After This," and we sang a chant I composed, "I, The Little Bubble of Laughter," for the harmonium.

• Find out more about Nicole's life and death visit: https://blazingpinecone.com/mysunflower/

• Explore Kusterman's Adventure Farm: https://www.kustermans.ca/

• Listen to more music by Pamela Gerrand: http://www.pamelajanegerrand.com/

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