A Call to Those We’ve Lost

by Karen Griffith

A new wind phone has been installed in Port Ludlow in the copse of trees to the east of the Village Market.

Judy McKay who worked with Griffith to make the Port Ludlow Wind Phone a reality. (Photo by: Karen Griffith)

A wind phone is a telephone not connected to any wires. That’s okay because its whole purpose is to let you “call” your loved ones who have passed on. More specifically, it is a space and a handset for people who wish to speak their grief, thoughts and memories aloud to someone who has died. The primary purpose is to give people a way to say things they never got to say to a loved one. It offers a tangible and symbolic ritual for processing grief, which can be a powerful and moving experience.

The concept was started by a Japanese man in 2010. Itahu Sasaki lost his cousin who he was very close to, and he installed a rotary phone in his garden, not wired to anything.  Here, he felt connected to his beloved cousin. The next year, the big tsunami hit the coast of Japan sweeping thousands of people to their deaths. He dusted off his wind phone and placed it in a public place for all to use.

There are now over 400 wind phones around the world. Community members are invited to sit on a bench in this beautiful grove of trees and “talk” to their loved one. For more information see mywindphone.com.

Our Port Ludlow wind phone was constructed by local craftsman Ed Galfre and placed in the spot by the market with the help of Al Gleich and Bill Trafton.