🕯️ Before the Saints Arrive – Pipeaway Newsletter #191

Hi from Pregrada!

The oldest parish in the Croatian region of Hrvatsko Zagorje is the final resting place of my father. He passed away almost five years ago, in a period when I processed that saying goodbye is the most complicated part of any journey.

The last week in October is when many people around the world honor their deceased loved ones, visit cemeteries, clean their graves, offer flowers, and light candles.

My mother prefers avoiding the crowds gathered by the customs (and social pressure) of All Saints’ Day, so she tries to “get things done” earlier. The social pressure for a clean grave on the Day of the Dead is real. Also, florists need to make a living, too.

So, we visited the grave today, washed it up, left flowers, and swapped old candle batteries for new ones. My mother’s soul was peaceful again. Maybe, when we celebrate All Souls’ Day, the idea includes the calmness we seek to establish in the souls of the living?

My mother likes to think ahead. She even invests in MY funeral assistance fund (!), probably not because she imagines that happening, but to secure peace in her soul today for any future outcome possible.

I know that when we are gone, those things won’t bother us. It doesn’t matter whether we “sleep” under a ton of flower arrangements, end up in a gold-plated urn, or get scattered over the sea or in the mountains, reduced to ash. Funerals are farewell rituals for those who stay.

So, while we are still here, I just wanted to inform you of a small update I made to the list of adventures you can have on Kythira Island in Greece.

On Pipeaway‘s YouTube channel, you can take a look inside the restored accommodations I recommended as the best places to stay on the island – tiny houses of yesteryears turned cozy properties today.

If you want to sleep in a former dovecote, check out what the Pigeon House in Potamos has to offer. If you’d prefer the idea of spending a night in an ex-storage house, see what the experience of a vaulted Kamaraki in Aroniadika could bring.

Before planning your funeral, enjoy planning your life.

Have a cozy week,

Ivan Kralj        
Pipeaway.com

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Ivan Kralj

Editor

Award-winning journalist and editor from Croatia