It was over a year ago that my brother, Craig, and his wife, Rosie, came to visit to help celebrate Mom’s 95th birthday. Mom (Marjorie) was living in memory care but was doing fairly well, considering. During that visit, we three “kids” began to talk in general terms about some day taking a cruise to Alaska maybe. The idea was planted but needed time to grow.

On future visits for Mother’s Day and Mom’s 96th birthday, we got serious about such a trip. Craig researched online while I picked the brains of my neighbors who had taken cruises to Alaska. But while our plans were progressing, Mom was beginning to fail.

Shortly after Craig and Rosie returned for her memorial service in September, we made reservations for the cruise. She would have wanted us to do this, we said. And not only did Marjorie want us to enjoy this trip, she left us more than enough money to pay for it. It was like it was meant to be.

And so we have been cruising this week, along with my niece, Tina, and her husband, Scott. But there was one more surprise coming our way—a very meaningful one. We spent the third day of the trip in Glacier Bay National Park. The highlight of the day was our close approach to a glacier that just happened to be named Margerie. Yes, the spelling is different, but that hardly matters. It was too much to be a coincidence. This was a definite case of life coming full circle. 

Here we are, Marjorie’s two children, posing for a photo with Margerie behind us. Our hearts and memories were filled with Marjorie’s presence. May she rest in peace as life continues in its intricate circles.