I’m with you. If I want to feel close to Zeyde Herman, I’ll hold his dogtags. If I want to feel close to my Bubby, I’ll visit a mom and pop corner grocery store. Their earthly remains aren’t them any more.
But they are a reminder. I scattered my mom’s ashes in a place we vacationed together. And I would feel her presence there without the ashes, because she spent so much time there in her life. But the ashes make me feel good about it, like, I made a point of honoring her in this place.