When Kody died, he left no real instructions on what he wanted done with his body. I knew from some conversations with him that he wanted to be cremated. He said he wanted to be, “scattered to the four winds.” He wanted to be placed in nature anywhere where adventure happened. We talked a little about memorial tree options, but he never made a concrete decision.

When my mother found out that she was dying, she spent a lot of time looking into options. She did not want to be placed in a cemetery with a plaque over her grave. Instead, she chose to purchase a memorial tree from the memorial tree program at Earth Sanctuary on Whidbey island. This allowed her to choose a tree in the sanctuary and to help preserve this beautiful space as well.

Kody loved Michele’s choice. When he died, my mother decided that he should have his own memorial tree. I took his ashes to the tree as my mother was too sick. I found the perfect tree, a little off the path, tucked away, but with a beautiful view of the pond. It is fairly close to where my mother’s tree is as well.

I don’t know whether Kody ever made it out to Earth Sanctuary in life. I know that he always planned to go, but he was often private about what he was doing on a day to day basis. He would have loved it though. The sanctuary is a beautiful blend of spiritual objects and nature. On the property you discover several medicine wheels, a traditional labyrinth, Tibetan prayer wheels, and so much more. These help to create this sacred space with connection to nature and multiple spiritual practices.

Kody’s tree stands on the hill over the pond. You have to walk down the road not taken to reach it. Though the tree is visible from the main path, it peaks through the forest down at the pond and is hard to pick out from the rest. This tree watches over the sanctuary in the same way Kody watched while others around him lived. He observed constantly sticking to the corners of any gathering. Kody loved nature. Near the end of his life, he often retreated into nature when he had the energy for it. He hiked and listened to music, taking time in nature to reflect and meditate.

The memorial tree at Earth Sanctuary is just one place where I scattered his ashes. I take some of his ashes with me whenever I venture out into nature. I remember and reflect. Over time, all of these ashes will run through my fingers and back out into nature, scattered to the four winds as he wanted.