Like most women of a certain age, I live with ghosts.
Ghosts of dear friends, ghosts of favorite pets, ghosts of dear departed family members.
When I'm at the lake, I visit with them often. I see Finnigan catching a Kong in the lake, and Gordie taking his last swim. I see Jennette, too, in the chair next to me having a cocktail or a morning smoothie.
It's here where I am most at peace, with the waves lapping or the thunder clapping. It's a place to think, to ruminate, to wonder what could have been. For the most part, the endings were sad but expected; there's no need or want to be angry. We each have so many heartbeats, so many tears in us.
As humans, the only thing that keeps us sane is our ability to move on.
But there is one ghost who lives with me who won't be put in the nice memory box, and that is the ghost of my cousin Ashley Simpson who disappeared in April two years ago in the wilds of Salmon Arm, British Columbia.
Ashley left with barely a trace after a fight with a boyfriend. She is one of the four missing or murdered women of the Salmon Arm/Enderby area who disappeared in short order, all without a trace, all without an explanation.
There have been a few suspects in these cases but only one has been charged by the police, though he has never been charged in the case of these women.
And so the ghosts of Ashley and the other women continue to haunt the woods and streams of that devastated community.
My cousin John and his wife Cindy, along with their entire family, live with Ashley's ghost. She permeates their thoughts as they go about their work each day. She is absent from the barbeques and bonfires she once loved, and John is without her helping hands as he cooks meals for legions.
Each year now, John and family make the journey out to Salmon Arm and join the locals for a hard search of the area. Thanks to the efforts of John and some dedicated volunteers, they are now able to utilize drone technology to get into the areas where humans fear to tread.
Alas, there was no closure again this year for these heartbroken families.
Ever the kind soul, John is tireless in his efforts to raise awareness about the missing and murdered women, and he spends his off hours raising money to buy more drones.
To his thinking, they may not find Ashley, but if they can locate one other girl or woman before the dust settles, it will be worth the efforts.
To learn about how drones are now being used for search and rescue, to get involved, or to donate, please visit this site.
Never forget. Never give up.
Ashley's Army continues to work in her memory.
Ghosts of dear friends, ghosts of favorite pets, ghosts of dear departed family members.
When I'm at the lake, I visit with them often. I see Finnigan catching a Kong in the lake, and Gordie taking his last swim. I see Jennette, too, in the chair next to me having a cocktail or a morning smoothie.
It's here where I am most at peace, with the waves lapping or the thunder clapping. It's a place to think, to ruminate, to wonder what could have been. For the most part, the endings were sad but expected; there's no need or want to be angry. We each have so many heartbeats, so many tears in us.
As humans, the only thing that keeps us sane is our ability to move on.
But there is one ghost who lives with me who won't be put in the nice memory box, and that is the ghost of my cousin Ashley Simpson who disappeared in April two years ago in the wilds of Salmon Arm, British Columbia.
Ashley left with barely a trace after a fight with a boyfriend. She is one of the four missing or murdered women of the Salmon Arm/Enderby area who disappeared in short order, all without a trace, all without an explanation.
There have been a few suspects in these cases but only one has been charged by the police, though he has never been charged in the case of these women.
And so the ghosts of Ashley and the other women continue to haunt the woods and streams of that devastated community.
My cousin John and his wife Cindy, along with their entire family, live with Ashley's ghost. She permeates their thoughts as they go about their work each day. She is absent from the barbeques and bonfires she once loved, and John is without her helping hands as he cooks meals for legions.
Each year now, John and family make the journey out to Salmon Arm and join the locals for a hard search of the area. Thanks to the efforts of John and some dedicated volunteers, they are now able to utilize drone technology to get into the areas where humans fear to tread.
Alas, there was no closure again this year for these heartbroken families.
Ever the kind soul, John is tireless in his efforts to raise awareness about the missing and murdered women, and he spends his off hours raising money to buy more drones.
To his thinking, they may not find Ashley, but if they can locate one other girl or woman before the dust settles, it will be worth the efforts.
To learn about how drones are now being used for search and rescue, to get involved, or to donate, please visit this site.
Never forget. Never give up.
Ashley's Army continues to work in her memory.
Rose I need to contact you -- can you email?
ReplyDeleteYvette.Brend@cbc.ca
604-662-6961