While most of last weekend shall be held private, I just want to say that there is a right and a wrong way to scatter ashes. I had the pleasure of finding this out the hard way. In case you ever find yourself with the task, please make sure these rules are followed:

1. The Obvious - Don't wait 3 years, take care of this as soon as possible.
   
2. Choose the Correct Container - All urns are not created equal.
   
3. If you are the "caster" be sure of the wind directions.
   
4. Ashes don't look like they do on TV, so don't expect some dusty cloud to disappear into the wind.
   
5. Choose the Correct Container - Burial Urns are very different than Casting Urns.
6. If cast at the beach, go back the next day to see how the tides effect it.
   
7. If cast at the beach, leave some remaining in the urn, tip it over and allow the waves to bring the rest of the ashes out to sea. It's actually very beautiful and peaceful to watch.
   
8. Choose the Correct Container - If a water memorial is planned, seriously look into a biodegradable urn where you can scatter some ashes, and then just let the ocean waves/lake water carry it away. This way you aren't left with a good sized marble/onyx box with no idea what to do with it.
   
9. It's really OK to cry.
   
10. Definitely bring a change of clothes, especially if you're the caster.

This pretty much sums it up. Thanks for all the warm thoughts this weekend. Sorry to be a hermit to you all.