Our Hakamairi

We went to the gravesite yesterday afternoon and were able to view my father's headstone. Prior to dropping by my father's headstone. Heather and I went past my maternal grandmother and grandfather's headstones.

We walked from our home in Surrey, through Holland Park to the King George Skytrain station. It wasn't raining so it was worth walking.





We saw daffodils at Holland Park. That's a sure sign of spring. What was a real coincidence was that my mother brought daffodils from her house in Vancouver the week prior to place at both my grandmother and grandfather's grave as well as my father's. So maybe viewing these daffodils were a premonition of what to expect at my grandparent's and father's gravesite.

When we got to the Skytrain, we managed to hop on one practically immediately and we made our way to New Westminster Station...



After reaching New West Station, We got off the Skytrain and walked over to the bus-stop for the #123 Brentwood Mall bus. The ride maybe took about 20 minutes at the most and we got off at Royal Oak. Walked through the gate of Forest Lawn Cemetery



My grandparents' graves were on Summit.




My Maternal Grandfather's Grave

My Maternal Grandmother's Grave

We stopped there, said a prayer for my maternal grandparents. I asked my grandmother and grandfather to look after my father and then we left to go visit my father's graveside, which was down at the bottom of a hill. We would have liked to have gotten a plot in Summit alongside my maternal grandparents, however it was impossible as Summit was sold out years and years ago. If I win the Lotto Max, maybe I might be able to get a family vault, exhume every family member and place them in a communal vault. But as our finances stand at the momet...I doubt it.

And there it was...at the foot of a hill...beside another Japanese-Canadian's gravesite (the Tokai's), the first Chikamori family member to be interred at Forest Lawn.


My father's grave

My mother intends to be buried there as well, so I intend to honor her wishes (the gravesite is already purchased, the cost will be to reopen the vault and place her in when the time comes; hopefully, that will not be soon). We have too much repairing of our relationship to do before then.

I noticed sand all over the headstone...so I took my hand and brushed off what I could, I hope to bring a broom and do the rest next time, I visit. His plot reads "Always Loved, Always Remembered". My mother asked me to choose the saying.



And yes, Dad, I love you...and I always will. I miss you deeply but I know you were with me and Heather in spirit yesterday.