Submitted by Sioux Kriss, President, Pink Phoenix Dragons.
I asked Meri Gibson for permission a few weeks ago to read the Dragon Flowers poem by Berni Veale at the Pink Phoenix Celebration of Life, and Meri asked that I send a picture in return.
Attached you will see several pictures. Since our team is now 27 years old, we have.
a long list of Pink Angels - 55 as April 12. (Yes, our last paddler passed at home with her family while we were in New Zealand.)
Our Celebration of Life ceremony is an annual event where we invite family and friends of all the Pink Angels and we gather to tell stories about our loved ones. We start with a welcome, in which I read the Dragon Flowers poem, giving credit to Berni, and providing a brief recap of the IBCPC Flower Ceremony.
We read each Pink Angel’s name, each punctuated with a single silver symbol chime, and then we load everyone into the big Kaohsiung Dragon Boats and head to a spot in the marina that can be easily seen from shore.
We have an additional inspirational message, followed by more memory sharing and then we toss our flowers in the water while a bagpiper serenades our moments of individual reflections.
One of the pictures also shows how we have customized our Rose Festival paddles with Pink Angel names. (RF paddles are much larger than normal 212 paddles to accommodate the big boats.)
It is both sad and of course, an honor, to remember and celebrate our Pink Angels. Thank you for allowing us to enhance the ceremony with Berni's lovely poem.
Sioux Kriss
2023 Pink Phoenix President
