A Day to Remember

10/12/09 - Evening

Today David and I headed to the south coast to Eastbourne, East Sussex. He planned a work meeting there for a hearing aid fitting so Ali could assist him and then after the fitting we were all going to go to Seven Sisters, the famous chalk cliffs on the Sussex Heritage Coast. Ali was most excited about this day trip and the trip to Bath, which I will take tomorrow. She kept telling me about these cliffs and how she's been reading about them in her England travel books. We looked at the tiny pics in the book and were convinced they didn't do the cliffs justice, cause it didn't look like much but the description made it sound like one of the most beautiful views to see...which it was, but more on that in a bit.

Leaving early in the morning, I got a feel for London traffic but once we got through the city, the drive was absolutely gorgeous. It was a sunny, beautiful day and the leaves are all changing colors. Lots of lush green pastures with sheep and big brown cows. Once we got into town, we had coffee in a little cafe and then we went our separate ways. David to his hearing aid fitting, me to run on the coast.

Ali would've been thrilled to assist David with this fitting. It was for an 80 year old Dutch gentleman that had lost his arms in World War II. Ali was so passionate about helping others improve their hearing and I know she would've really connected to this man - Ali was gifted in this regard. After David's meeting, I kept asking him about the man and how the fitting went cause I know it would've been a highlight for Ali and I just wanted to soak it all in.

While David was in his meeting, I went for a run on the coastline. I brought along Ali's iPod and just ran to her "Recently Played" list. The playlist couldn't have been a more perfect selection. Ali is known by her friends as having a very cool, eclectic taste in music. Few would find my own "Recently Played" list inspiring...Beyonce, Jay-Z, Miley...great to run to though:)

Ali's playlist was perfect from start to finish with all songs being Indie type or with a chill, reflective vibe. Here's some from her list:

1.) "Save Me" - Queen
2.) "A Lack of Color" - Death Cab for Cutie
3.) "Sad Songs" - Matt Nathanson
4.) "Staring at the Sun" - TV on the Radio
5.) "Rome" - Phoenix
6.) "Things Ain't Like They Used to Be" - The Black Keys
7.) "Viva La Vida" - Coldplay
8.) "Street Spirit" - Radiohead
9.) "Across the Universe" - Jim Sturgess
10.) "Kiss of Life" - Friendly Fires
11.) "Let the Drummer Kick" - Citizen Cope
12.) "Little Secrets" - Passion Pit
13.) "Golden Years" - David Bowie
14.) "Anonanimal" - Andrew Bird
15.) "Happy Ending" - MIKA

I got to Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain with views of the south east coast from Dungeness to the east, to Selsey Bill in the west (thanks, Wikipedia). When I turned around to run back, I was just so sad and missing Ali terribly. Running felt okay but I felt compelled to take a break and just take it all in. I took a seat on a bench right on the beach and looked out into the ocean.

It was a clear day so even though the wind was quite brisk and cold, the sun still kept you from feeling too chilly. I don't know how long I was sitting there but after some time, I noticed just past the sail boat I was following that there was a huge cross. Way into the distance, I could see it coming up from the water. A cross! What a beautiful sign that I'm not on this journey alone! I spent the rest of my morning staring out at what I later learned is the Royal Sovereign lighthouse, knowing that Ali was here in spirit and God was looking to comfort me. What an incredible sign to send me! Words cannot describe how this felt but it was exactly what I needed at the exact perfect moment.

David and I met back up for lunch where I had a lamb and mint Cornish pasty. WOW! So much better than my Lean Pockets:) After that we took the car to the Seven Sisters and started our trek. You start at one end in the countryside and then you climb up and down the seven cliffs. We spent a lot of time in the cliffs and were able to spread some of Ali's ashes in a beautiful area overlooking the ocean. It was the view photographed in the England travel book of Ali's but just as we thought, the book didn't give it any justice. It was absolutely breathtaking and so peaceful up there. Indeed, it was everything Ali promised it would be and more.

Thank you so much for the love, prayers and support through all this. I am so blessed to have such amazing friends and family with which to share these stories.