Last week my best friend & father of my sons died of cancer. He was an amazing father & incredible life partner.
Our sons (like him) are creative, brilliant & decided to memorialize their father in ways that are meaningful to them & according to what they know their dad wanted.
Because he was cremated & had to go through fire to complete his journey here on earth, they boys decided to paint pottery — which has to go through a fiery kiln. We each did pieces that made us think of him, and the pieces were blessed before we left.
My girl (who is not his biological child) was loved by him from birth to the day he died. He was the only man at her baby shower! Lol She painted a puppy ( because he loves dogs) & a heart with his name— because he always told her how much he loved her and to follow her heart.
Our youngest son painted a shark because sharks are fierce and protective. He painted blood in the shark’s mouth and food in the shark’s belly because his daddy loved to eat! Lol His dad also taught him to help keep balance, just as sharks do in the ocean.
Our oldest son painted the most impeccable fighter jet he could find... “because Daddy was a fighter and he protected all of us!” And truly, their Daddy was a protector... in the best ways he knew how— he really did! He taught our sons to do the same!
I chose a butterfly... Over the years he’s gifted me more butterflies than I can count & they represent the fragility of life. Also, the last text I received from him a few weeks ago read “I love you awesomely.” He couldn’t have left me with a more profound message.
As the pieces were blessed, those present shared stories about Tay and a beautiful poem was read by @iammickyjones. Afterward, our youngest said he could hear his Daddy saying the poem.
Afterward, we went to a light festival & later released lanterns for him. It was nothing short of beautiful. This week has reinforced that when love is present on earth, not even death can diminish it. For the gift of his love, all of our lives were made better.
For the legacy of his sons that he’s entrusted me with... For the deep-rooted friendship he offered while on this earth... For the light that will forever shine in our hearts because of him... We are immensely grateful for the life and love of Chris Taylor.
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