Laying pathway
ICMP pays homage to 116 lost loved ones in annual brick-laying ceremony
Bricks containing 116 tributes were laid on the Path of Remembrance in front of more than 100 onlookers at Children’s Memorial Place on Sunday.
Eyes welled under darkening clouds as 116 tributes were laid on the Path of Remembrance in front of more than 100 onlookers.
“You can feel their presence here,” reflected Joyce O’Connor, who came with her family to pay homage to a lost loved one during the annual brick-laying ceremony at the Children’s Memorial Place (ICMP), Sunday afternoon. O’Connor knows all too well the unbearable sting of losing someone close.
“We started paying tribute 12 years ago when my nephew, Matthew McIsaac, was killed in a car accident on Aug. 23. He was just 14 years old,” she said. “We planted a tree and placed a brick in memory of him.” There are many of her loved ones memorialized on the Path of Remembrance, as well as the Ever-living Forest. O’Connor shared her story, noting, “My daughter, Nicole Robertson, passed away from cancer at the age of 34. It will be five years since her death in October. My husband was there to give me support and help me get through, but then he died of cancer. It will be two years on Sept. 22, since he passed.”
Her relatives were one of 52 families that purchased a personalised brick intended to forever grace the Path of Remembrance.
The brick was laid in memory of O’Connor’s brotherin-law, Donnie Adams. His grandson, Donovan Chaisson is also there – he died at birth. O’Connor offered sage words of advice: “Offer them a hug and let them know you are there for them, if they need you.”
The ICMP have been holding these ceremonies for over a decade. Maitland MacIsaac, president of the ICMP, addressed the silent sombre crowd.
“They live in other ways,” he reflected, before putting the unimaginable loss into perspective while describing the loss of his son to cancer. “Remember that person, who is also a part of you,” he said. “The ICMP is one way to do that.”
The blossoming 12-acre site offers a sanctuary where people can rest and reflect, as well as find a sense of community. Walking through the Everliving Forest, O’Connor points out the smiling photos of her family members gone – but never forgotten – under the shadows of the trees.
She pauses at a maple tree. Under its stretching branches is a black and white photo of a beautiful smiling woman.
“That’s my daughter,” she pointed.
Trees are all planted in close proximity for her departed family members. O’Connor concludes, “I come twice a year for the (ICMP) ceremonies, plus I come to visit other times during the year. It’s comforting to be here. And I can very much feel their presence when I’m here.” More information on the ICMP is available at: www.icmplace.ca.