A Walk to Reflect On ~ Part 1

"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.

"Pooh?" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you."

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Last September, I was in the Okanagan and had the opportunity to spend an entire day with Shayla’s best friend, Chantel. Our plan was to leave pebbles from Shayla’s collection, all over certain locations in Kelowna that had significant meaning to her.

On a breathtaking autumn day, we sat at a concrete table where once Shayla had been, having her photographs taken at the same beach area, many years ago. We were not following any particular order; only being led by an unseen care-free energy in the air. I spoke openly with Chantel about many things and found it easy to confide in her. There was no need to wear any masks and next to me… Chantel was someone who knew every aspect of Shayla.  As all of the pebbles were set out, the only one we would not be releasing was the Shae Pebble I had created from where I bought it from: The Angelic Teapot. This was included amongst the others to show to Chantel and would be a part of our many pictures taken that day. 

A few hours later and with much input, we set out to place the first pebble in the lake, where Shayla’s feet had been immersed, many times. What struck us right away was the sparkling purple layer of what appeared to be glitter upon the beach. After sometime, we could not figure out what it was and smiled wondering if it may have been pixie dust left behind. Since Chantel and Shayla were passionate about Disney, this only made sense. After all, this day was to honour the nature of their relationship and the bonds of their friendship that spanned almost twenty years.

As we strolled onto a pier where my daughter use to swim off of, I went to take a photograph of her holding a pebble for Shae. It was then that Chantel pointed out to me the message written on the post of the dock. “You mean the world to me! Please Don’t Leave!” These words could easily have been scrawled by either one of us, yet the unknown person responsible echoed the sentiments of our broken hearts. 

Working our way back into the city, we gazed up at the sky to see the following image. To us, the formation of the wispy clouds appeared to look like an S with a set of wings on the tip of them. Again, we found ourselves smiling and giving each other a knowing glance that we had just been given a sign. 

The two of us continued all over parts of Kelowna that meant something: the Remembrance Cenotaph where Shayla use to take part in the annual Air Cadet March. A swing set where the innocence of my daughter’s childhood could be found. The Spirit of the Sail, which can be seen as the background for many of Shayla’s snapshots over the years she resided in the city. We placed another pebble at the W.A.C Bennett Clock on Queensway, where Shae would ride the transit and meet-up with people. This led us to a secret garden of sorts behind the clock tower and through wooden gates to the Japanese-inspired Kasugai Gardens. Once my feet stepped onto the path, immediately I felt the need to immerse a stone in a location that I will keep private. At times, it does not matter that the entire world knows where I have laid a pebble; for me it is an offering between my child that has passed away and her grieving mother. Throughout the day, Chantel was given the opportunity to choose whichever pebble one she wanted and put them in the areas she felt were right. One brilliant stone that was unique had deep impression of lines embedded in the red and white pebble. It reminded Chantel of scars, with the distinctive form and etchings, she felt compelled to release it into the open pond. Soon, it was engulfed and lay at the bottom, while Koi fish swam around the blossoming water lilies- one of Shayla’s favourite flowers. 

One of the last places we paid tribute to their remarkable union of friendship was at a cascading waterfall. It was here a few more words of empathy were said and we released an exceptional pebble for an amazing soul.

In writing this, I was granted a day of insight, the privilege to see firsthand how even in her passing, Shayla and Chantel will stay connected, Forever. 

By T L. Alton