Saying Goodbye...

My trip to Scotland was about uniting with family that I had never met before, finding lost family members of the past and putting them to rest in my own mind; and it was also about finding the courage within myself to push my personal boundaries in order to grow. But the tragic story of Peter Campbell, which I referenced in the beginning of my blog, was what ignited the spark within me to go on my own search to find him.

As I started asking around Inverness to find the prison that Peter passed away in, I discovered that it was still a working prison. I went to the tourist office and told them that Peter had died in that prison as a conscientious objector, and the ladies at the office became interested in the story. So, they called the prison, and the prison called the governor, and the governor sanctioned a visit. So, the very last day of my trip, on my birthday, I was able to go take a private tour of HM Prison Inverness. The prison itself was built in 1902, and Peter passed away there on April 8, 1919 of pneumonia. Seeing the final place in which he was imprisoned, and the place that he died, was very difficult, but it gave me some closure as well. There are currently plans for a new prison to be built, and for this one to be knocked down, so I really was given a true gift to be able to walk where Peter had walked. I said my final goodbyes to Peter as I dropped petals into the River Ness and thanked him for his beliefs, his bravery and his commitment to peace.

The Inverness tourist office also checked with Highland Council about Peters death, and they were able to verify that Peter was not buried in Inverness. The story, passed down through the family, was that his brothers took him home to their village of Glendale where he was buried in a grave that is still to be given a headstone. If there is ever a day when that changes, and we have the chance to give him a final memorial, I will go back to Scotland if at all possible.

I want to thank those that did genealogical research and had 'found Peter' for me the day after I booked my trip to Scotland. With all of the new information I received, I was able to connect with what Peter left behind in a new and more complete manner. And for that, I will be forever indebted.

I am a changed woman, and I feel like a more complete individual now that I have reconnected with my past and set my future into a positive motion for a free and happy life...even if it is just me, myself and I. I am the one that I can depend on to make my own dreams come true. I will always treasure the memories I have of Scotland and of the people I met there and will keep them in my heart forever.