Tomorrow, Wednesday, is Gabi's funeral, although everyone will be celebrating her life as her male name. I have a long drive to get there for 10.30 am BST but I'll do my best to get there.
Afterwards I'm going to walk along the Ridgeway Path, to see the White Horse of Uffington and Wayland's Smithy, both of which are prehistoric monuments. I'm sure Gabs would approve of my taking some time to reflect upon things before driving home.
Angharad.
Comments
Drive carefully, sis!
And remember the person who really was, not the one that others saw. I wish I could be there to help ease your heart, but I will be with you in spirit.
Karen J.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Tomorrow is Gabi's funeral.
And don't worry about posting tomorrow.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Gabbi
I'm sorry she cant be Gabbi to them, but she was Gabbi in her heart, hon. Hugs and prayers from Dorothy.
Dorothycolleen
You go with...
You go with the wishes/memories of so many others besides yourself. I'm sure she'd have approved of your side trips. She seemed to be a person who never hesitated to think and see what's what.
As to the name being celebrated... That's something my therapist reminds me at least every third visit - that my first 50 years are still an important part of who I am. I'm sure that they were for Gabi, too. It's sad that ALL of Gabi won't be celebrated, but at least you will be there, who remembers that... And many of us will be there, at least in spirit. She touched so many of us.
Bless you,
Anne
All our condolences and hearts go with you
I'm sure many more of us from the site would be there if we could.
Melanie E.
R I P
I hope thier is an after life so she could be Gabbi and in the next life Gabbi comes back as this cute little baby girl and live life the right way . Go with Gods speed Gabbi HUGS RICHIE2
My thoughts and prayers will be with you on your journey.
And especially for Gabbi whom I never knew but always seemed to be around helping writers and keeping BC one of the best story sites there is.
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita
Best wishes, be safe.
I am sorry that she passed and without warning. She will be missed.
K
Leave early and drive with care, Ang
Gaby was a good person with her insightful remarks/blogs, all the editing help she gave others and the story with the kids popping back to WWII -- the Mrs Wooton's Pies(?) series -- was heart warming and charming. I wish she had completed it. It showed her kind and sentimental soul.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Wishing you support and love.
It will be a trying time for you Angie, especially as you knew Gabi and they are burying what they perceive to be man. The conflict in your heart might upset you.
Hopefully the visit to the White Horse with time to reflect and remember will help you through the ordeal.
Love and hugs.
Beverly.
Funerals ....
... become a regular thing as you get older but that doesn't make it any easier. They're not happy times but there are compensations like meeting old friends not seen for many years. Perhaps for you that may not be the case this time but it helps to say goodbye and spend a little time thinking about your friend and your friendship. Coincidentally, I'm writing this at 10.25 BST so I'm thinking of both Gabi and you.
The Ridgeway is a good place to visit. We went to Waylands Smithy on our tandem a few years ago when we were staying at the nearby Ridgeway Youth Hostel a few years ago (where 'few' represents a largish positive integer. It's an eerie, but beautiful place and possibly surrounded by daffodils at this time of year. I'm sure you'll find it soothing - it's a sunny day today, which will help, I'm sure.
Robi
Your Presence
RAMI
Your presence at Gabi's funeral and celebrating HER life, as well as the life being celebrated by other's, is a testimony to the fact that gabi meant something to various people. You may be the only representative of the BCTS family there, but you are the emissary of the many folk here who have read her stories, PM with her, received her assistance, and have commented on your posts.
You may be physically there alone, but know you are acompanied by many others is spirit.
RAMI
RAMI
Gabi's funeral
Went very well and I met several friends and relations. It was ironic that Gabi couldn't stand the local vicar and yet it was he who performed the service with a friend who was also a priest, leading the prayers.
Sadly because of physical size, there aren't apparently many crematoria which can deal with larger people, and so a committal was done in the churchyard and the body was removed to be taken to the nearest of the larger crematoria - apparently some miles away.
The pub didn't open for another hour after the service was over so I went into Wantage and had a quick look round. The forecast was for temperatures of around 20C so I had to get some sun blocker and a tee shirt from Sainsbury's, the clothing I'd taken with me was going to be too warm for walking.
I got to the White Horse car park and ate my sandwiches, then walked about half a mile up hill to see the beast - very impressive. Unfortunately, the only complete image is seen from the air, so was perhaps made for sky gods to see? Who knows, we don't even know which god/goddess it represents, or maybe horses were sacred?
Unlike later horse carvings on chalkhills, this one is Bronze Age, the figure is stylised, which I actually like - it also appeared in a similar form on some coins from the Iron Age I believe, though it isn't known if there is a connection.
After I'd taken photos of the horse and adjacent Uffington Castle - a hill fort - that's unimpressive to one used to the majestic Maiden Castle which is much larger and complex and is down the road from me - I walked the couple of miles to Wayland Smithy and a couple or so back.
It was a scorching day, and I was carrying a rucksack with cameras and binoculars etc. and by the time I got back to my car my hips were very uncomfortable. Whether that's wear and tear; arising from my back problems or simply my lack of walking fitness; I don't know, but I was very grateful to sit down in the car and then to drive home.
It was a sad day, but at least by going I felt able to represent friends from an alternative community as well as my personal ones. It was therefore a good day.
Angharad
Angharad
I found a slipped PM...
... Between two people that I had forgotten about, and one of them was Gabi. I was never meant to see the message within, so I never told her I received it, but in it, she said some things about me that made me cry with joy that day, and they do now simply thinking about it.
She was many things to many people here. To me? She was my guardian angel after that day. I wish I had found it sooner so I could have said something at her passing, but in a way it's fitting that I found it now, too.
Godspeed Gabi. You touched lives you didn't even know you touched, just by being a loving and caring woman.
*hugs Ang* Thank you for posting, and for being there in body where we can only be in spirit. :-)