Tony was in love with the Subaru Impreza from the moment he started becoming interested in cars. It was his dream for the Impreza to be his first car, and that dream came true after a long drive from Tennessee to Ohio to pick up a used Impreza that he had carefully researched soon after he got his license.
Sealing the deal!
Fast forward to today and to the peace and serenity of Tony shout-outs through serendipity. A nickname of the Subaru Impreza is Scooby, so it was fitting that I encountered a yellow lab on my walk to one of Tony’s favorite spots, the Quarry. The dog obediently walked beside his owner, off leash, and wagged his tail as I approached. He immediately sat at my feet as I petted him and learned that his name is Scooby.
Continuing my walk, the next recording that played on my iPod was my voice, “I love you, Tony.” Then his little boy voice, “I love you too, Mama, most of all, and my Daddy too.” And then, Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” Tony’s chillin’ out song.
Every few yards, I was accompanied by butterflies…blue ones, orange ones, yellow ones…that would flutter and float around me, some landing by my feet, others on my shoulder. The butterfly is symbolic of rebirth after death, a representation of the soul. The butterfly’s transformation occurs over a short period of time, much like the transformation to spirit of our children who have preceded us in death, gone too soon. The butterflies joined me before I even left my house, gentle hellos from the butterfly garden I had just finished planting before my walk.
Continuing on the trail, I noticed a forlorn cemetery. I was saddened by the lone standing headstone amid the remnants of stones that had once represented a beloved person interred in the ground. I wondered about the many family members who had lived, how prominent they must have been to command their own family plot. Who was the last descendant? Do they still exist, or has the bloodline ended?
And then I noticed the drumstick trees, standing sentinel over the fenced cemetery to change my frame of mind and lift my spirits! My Tony!! Rockin’ on!!
His Spirit Lives On 