FINAL REST FOR KAYA

The family and a few closest friends gathered at Pet-Hospice for Kaya's funeral and cremation. We surrounded her, resplendent in her coat, 'lying-in-state' in her favorite sleeping position looking as though she would wake up any minute. In tears we each said our goodbye and Andrea wrote a very moving poem which I read for her as she was swamped by emotions.

We learned 2 major lessons ... 1) about Life & Death, how transient they can be, and how we must treasure what is around us at every moment as nothing is guaranteed 2) about Love & Devotion from our sorely missed guru, from Kaya, as shown in our elated 'Daddy's Girl' moments together.

I smiled for the first time in 3-days, through a torrent of tears, when I was handed her ashes in a petite urn. Kaya is back in Daddy's arms again, going home, and this time it is forever. The girls inscribed a message that says .. 'A Bundle of Love and Joy who showed us True Devotion' .. which summarized Kaya's short sojourn on earth well. Tess, our helper who took extremely good care of Kaya like her daughter, coped with her sorrow with these beautiful words ... 'we may have lost Kaya but we brought an Angel home today'.

Per my beloved Sister, a devout Tibetan Buddhist, Kaya is being guided through prayers in a transition zone called the Bardo, where she will spend the next 49 days before she transcends to the next being. She will need not only our prayers, but our loving thoughts to get through this step. Those of you who know her please remember her, continue to love her, think of the sweet moments you shared with her, and say prayers for her. This is all I ask as the Father who just lost a loving child.