INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — It was meant to be a Walk of Remembrance, a time for families and VNA Hospice staff and volunteers to walk together and remember those who have passed on. The rain kept those in attendance from walking around the garden, but it didn’t keep them from remembering.
Instead, they gathered in the living room of the VNA Hospice House, which was lined with luminaries as the garden path would have been. They hung paper butterflies bearing their loved ones’ names on a tall Christmas tree dotted with ornaments and candy canes and topped with a snowflake-shaped star.
“It’s a tough time to remember,” said Cathy Dusseau, of the holiday season and lost loved ones. She said ceremonies such as this inaugural event at the Hospice House really help families cope.
Tony McKenna attended the Walk of Remembrance to remember his 86-year-old mother, Mary, who had been brought to the VNA Hospice House at the end.
“It’s an incredible organization,” McKenna said. “They have a special gift.”
Chaplain Ann Taylor Owen told the survivors that so long as they live, their loved ones live too, through memories.
“Their light and their love still shine in our lives,” Owen said.
Providing musical accompaniment for the event was Alec Barker, a sophomore at Vero Beach High School, who played Christmas carols on the violin.
He attended the event with his dad, Doug, to remember his mom, Pam, who nurtured his musical talents.
“Pam was quite good at it,” Doug said of his late wife’s ability to encourage Alec’s ability.
Pam passed a year ago due to a cancerous brain tumor. She had been healthy and athletic, Doug said.
“Hospice was fantastic,” he said of taking care of not only Pam but also himself and Alec. Their grief counselor invited Alec to play for the event.
Doug said through Alec’s music Pam is still with them.
The bereavement division of the VNA Hospice House decided to establish what it hopes to be an annual Walk of Remember to coincide with the holiday season.
Tracey Soethe, the volunteer coordinator, said the holidays can be particularly difficult for those who have lost someone.
“People just want to remember people they’ve lost,” she said.
