Connection of Spirit on the Seven Mile Bridge
By Jessie Shippy
In April of 2006, I went to see my middle child Eugene Parker (Geno)
In Marathon Florida. He had been told he had approximately one year to
live.
I live here in New England, but spoke to Geno weekly throughout his
health ordeal. I was aware that he had many health problems during
the past two years, but until I spoke to his Doctor, I wasn’t aware of
the limited time we had left together. Geno knew and accepted this,
but, as his Mother I did have denial.
The Sunday I arrived we went to a boat show at the Seven Mile Bridge.
Geno was quick to point out to me the spot he wanted to have his ashes
dropped. Being in that state of denial, I asked him to please talk about
something else. He insisted that I should know where he wanted to be and
how it should take place. He asked that I please tell the rest of the family,
and to honor he and his wife’s wishes. I agreed.
Geno passed on September 16th 2006. This was the day after leaving
the hospital in Miami. Our family had just spent an entire week at
the hospital where a group of specialists had led us to believe he would do
fine on his new treatment plan. Geno made the statement in the hospital
he would not live to see his birthday September 26th. I continually
encouraged him to think positive, meanwhile I saw him grow weaker and
weaker.
His wife made arrangements for a “Celebration of Life” on November
5th, and family came from all over the States to be part of it. She choose
that date because of the full moon and it gave her the time she needed to
get all in order. The dropping of the ashes was in the afternoon of
November 5th in the Florida Keys. The law in the Keys states that a
person has to be 15 miles out to drop ashes. The crematorium had put the
ashes in a coral biodegradable shell. We hired two boats to take us out. I
didn’t feel I could go as the weather had turned so windy we had to walk
with our backs to it. I stayed on the dock with the other family members.
The captain told us to drive from there to the Seven Mile Bridge, and we
could watch them drop the ashes from there. “ I thought to myself
how can I witness that 15 miles out?.” At any rate we went. We saw
the boats coming like two dots to the right on the Gulf of Mexico. I
felt disappointed for Geno, as his wishes were to be on the gulf side
and they were headed under the bridge to the east side. As the boats
came closer, they headed under the bridge and anchored. The captain
decided to put the law aside and stay closer due to the weather.
Some time went by, and finally my granddaughter yelled that they had
dropped the ashes. My daughter Sandy and eldest son Craig were on that
boat. After a while they asked to take it out of the water because it
didn’t appear to be disintegrating. (the container was supposed to
disintegrate in 6 minutes.) The thought of it being washed to shore due to
the weather was a major concern. As they removed it from the
water in the net, they saw that is was disintegrating on the bottom. They
decided to place it back into the water. As they did, it literallyturned on its
side from the water weight, and danced across the water to the EXACT
area that Geno had pointed to back in April. My granddaughter (Alecia)
ran to the top of the bridge and watched. Just as it submerged, a sting
ray swam over as if to seal it with a kiss. I thanked God for the wind, and
the rain that led to Geno being granted his wish, and thank God too for the
Sting Ray that blessed and kissed Geno farewell. Spirit forces were at
work here for all of us to witness that day.
I feel the sting ray assisted Geno in his dance across the water, taking him
to exact spot in that large body of water he had chosen to be laid to rest.
The sting ray was there protecting him, and sealed his next dimension with
a kiss. My interpretation is that Geno received his own personal soul
stamp.
Geno was a fisherman, he loved the Gulf of Mexico and wild life. How
perfect was this?
September 26 1960- -September 16, 2006 Geno will be missed always
and loved by us all.
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