Knowing what to do with the remains of a loved one is always difficult; a complicated decision that many families struggle with. It is especially hard when death occurs tragically and prematurely, as was the case for Wendy Chadwick, who passed away earlier this year due to an undiagnosed heart condition. A mother of five, Wendy was the sole breadwinner in her family, and her children wanted to pay her a fitting tribute.
This story, set in the United States, based on a true story, has been a viral emotion on social networks as a result of the special message inside a bottle that was thrown into the sea. This story of marine communication is part of a large number of unexpected discoveries that take place at sea. Feel free to read on for the whole story.
An unusual decision
Wendy’s daughter, Cara Melia, made the unusual decision to seal her ashes in a glass bottle and throw it into the sea, along with a note that read, “This is my mother. Put her back in the water: she’s traveling the world.”
Cara threw the bottle into the sea and was quickly discovered by a passerby, who read the note and shared the story online. The story went viral and BBC Radio Manchester tracked down the daughter for the full story.
A symbolic and intimate ritual: fulfilling a pending dream
This type of event in which the ashes are carried in a bottle to be left to drift away from the mas exemplifies the pending dream of many people in their last moments of life. On the other hand, it also exemplifies the fact that as a result of this way, Wendy will have the great opportunity to go to the places she could not visit when she was alive.
Although in the first instance the act was intimate, as a result of social networks, the story has become part of the social collective and has made known the emotional story of the deceased and made it possible for many strangers to connect emotionally with her.
The plan was very different from the one that finally turned out
According to the statements, “life happened and my mother never had the opportunity to travel,” he said. He also expounded that no one really had to have found her so soon, as she was supposed to show up in a completely different country.
“I would love for her to end up on a beach in Barbados or Spain, which would certainly take time.”
The longing on the part of family members relates to the tribute of making it possible to be able to make a dream come true that has not been able to be realized in the past.
How he described his mother and what his wish was
She described her mother as a “very peculiar” person who “loved the beach and the sun,” and expressed her wish for her remains to reach a warm place. Cara also recounted that she originally intended to scatter the ashes on a beach, but it was her cousin who suggested the bottle idea.
The fact that the whole event was done around a bottle and the sea really reflected what her mother’s personality and great love for the beach was like. In addition, the collaboration of the family when this situation occurs is key to be able to heal in the best possible way, since thanks to the ideas and support, the grief is much easier to bear.
A viral story that must continue to travel around the world
The story has already been shared thousands of times on Facebook, and the bottle has been returned to the ocean to continue its journey around the world. Its journey has just begun.