May 28th, 2007
Memorial Day
Today we will spend some time at the cemetery. There are now more of my people beneath the mountain than there are living on it. We will place bouquets at my mother and father's grave sites, and at my uncle Eddie's. But we will visit many other loved ones and we will honor them without a floral tribute. My Grandpa Louie, my Grandma Edna....My beloved Grandma Hodges, Grandpa Hodges, my Uncle Virgil and Uncle Clarence, both which I never met in life but look forward to meeting in the afterlife. My great Grandma Powers, remembering Grandpa Powers, although not knowing where he's buried....And all of the loved ones who have come before me who I know about but never met. I love you all, and I will always remember you. You are a part of who I am...
I found this in the 'drafts' section of my blog...Interesting, since it happened 5 years ago and yet, we did exactly the same thing this recent Memorial Day. However, while we fondly reminisced about our dearly departed 5 years ago, this past Memorial Day, as we laid the flowers on each grave, we began pondering where our OWN remains might finally be placed, and who will come behind us to lovingly lay the flowers.
Times are not as they were in years past. While my parents, and theirs, made it a solemn duty to visit the graves on Memorial Day, my generation, with our nuclear families, either moved too far away to make the annual visit, or were simply too busy pursuing careers to have the time. Our children consider it an even less important task, and since cremation often trumps burial nowadays, with ashes being scattered hither and yon, there is no need to pull the weeds, place the flowers or brush off a loved one's headstone. It's a bit sad to me. This task allows us, in a way, to do something for someone without being asked, to take a moment to ponder our own past, and to honor those who came before us. It's something we really never seem to have time for nowadays, and it's too bad - for us.
Memorial Day
Today we will spend some time at the cemetery. There are now more of my people beneath the mountain than there are living on it. We will place bouquets at my mother and father's grave sites, and at my uncle Eddie's. But we will visit many other loved ones and we will honor them without a floral tribute. My Grandpa Louie, my Grandma Edna....My beloved Grandma Hodges, Grandpa Hodges, my Uncle Virgil and Uncle Clarence, both which I never met in life but look forward to meeting in the afterlife. My great Grandma Powers, remembering Grandpa Powers, although not knowing where he's buried....And all of the loved ones who have come before me who I know about but never met. I love you all, and I will always remember you. You are a part of who I am...
I found this in the 'drafts' section of my blog...Interesting, since it happened 5 years ago and yet, we did exactly the same thing this recent Memorial Day. However, while we fondly reminisced about our dearly departed 5 years ago, this past Memorial Day, as we laid the flowers on each grave, we began pondering where our OWN remains might finally be placed, and who will come behind us to lovingly lay the flowers.
Times are not as they were in years past. While my parents, and theirs, made it a solemn duty to visit the graves on Memorial Day, my generation, with our nuclear families, either moved too far away to make the annual visit, or were simply too busy pursuing careers to have the time. Our children consider it an even less important task, and since cremation often trumps burial nowadays, with ashes being scattered hither and yon, there is no need to pull the weeds, place the flowers or brush off a loved one's headstone. It's a bit sad to me. This task allows us, in a way, to do something for someone without being asked, to take a moment to ponder our own past, and to honor those who came before us. It's something we really never seem to have time for nowadays, and it's too bad - for us.
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