Hola my darlingheart,

I hope you don’t find this odd. It’s just how we roll.

When I was little, we would go on family picnics.

But not to normal picnic places – like parks or beaches.

No, we’d have family picnics at the cemetery. We’d spend days on blankets, wandering between tombstones, reading the names, the ages, the dates.

My beautiful Great Aunt Lucy, a fire-haired fairy, would come with us in her best finery – swirling long dresses, looping necklaces and wrists filled with wide bangles. She’d dance her way through the graves, and say:

I just love coming here. It’s just like visiting old friends!

You see, Proserpine Cemetery isn’t just any cemetery – it’s got our ancestors in it. Five generations on both sides of my family have lived here in Proserpine.

And now my brother lives there.

But, you know, he doesn’t really live there.

He’s everywhere.

But we still go visit him there anyway.

Like Aunty Lucy says,

it’s just like visiting friends.

There’s been times we’ve visited with all our tribe – grandmother, parents, nieces, nephews, siblings, partners.

We sit around on his grave, and we laugh and talk.

Some people leave flowers on graves.

Our family?

You can always tell we’ve visited my brother by the lollies being left there.

Usually butterscotch.

Today, my big sister, me & Mermaid Daughter #1 went to visit Mermaid Daughter #1 ‘s Uncle Clinty.

We didn’t leave butterscotch this time.

Instead, we left a slice of chocolate coconut ice.

And ate some ourselves.

Delicious.

I think Clinty likes ze variety.

And I introduced Mermaid Daughter #1 to her Uncle Clinty.

But it was less about introducing and more about…

Remember how your Uncle Clinty guided you down out of the stars to us?

He loves you so very much.

We all do.

And we took family photos.

Because that’s how we roll.

And we talked to our brother.

Asked his advice.

Told him about everything.

We laughed.

And we ate more Chocolate Coconut Slice.

And we sat and looked out over the mountains.

And I said:

Ya know? I don’t think Clinty is any more here than he is everywhere else. I feel him just as much in the mountains as I do here.

And sis said:

I know. I feel him everywhere. We don’t have to visit anywhere to be with him.

And it’s true.

My brother is all around us. And we can talk to him anytime. He is just as much right here as he is right there.

But it’s fun to go visit friends anyway.

And have cemetery picnics, and eat chocolate coconut ice.

I’m so grateful – for all of this.

The more I travel in this world, the more I see that all there really is is love.

All the love in the universe,