GASOLINE is terribly expensive and the weather does not look promising. That means travel is not attractive and a trip to the lake is likely to be a great disappointment.
What are folks supposed to do over this Memorial Day weekend?
How about visiting a cemetery?
The purpose of Memorial Day, after all, is to remember the dead. Many people take the time during the weekend to spruce up and decorate the graves of loved ones. Some people, perhaps an increasing number, are not comfortable with doing that. To them, visiting to a cemetery is like going to a funeral — a sad event that they would just as soon not go through.
But going to a cemetery to remember is not an exercise in self-inflicted grief and it does not require flowers or a pair of gardening shears. All it requires is a willingness to spend time in a quiet place and let memory push aside the immediate world and carry you back to visit with people you have loved and lost.
The trick is to dwell on the love and not the loss.
Make the visit a family affair. Take the children along and introduce them to relatives and friends they missed knowing. Share your memories with the children — especially memories of the good times, the jokes, the accomplishments.
Those memories are important. Without them, a stone in a cemetery is nothing more than a mute reminder that a stranger lies beneath.
Every time we share the memories, we establish a new memorial to a life that was precious.
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
I not only go to the cemeteries on Memorial Day, but also on birthdays and holidays and days that had meaning for me. He may not have been known by all, but what a wonderful person and friend he was to many. I always remember the good and the bad, and believe me I cherish all of it. I have even asked for him to help me win the lottery. Some may say I am crazy, but only those who know me know how I feel about our life and living. Take time to smell the flowers.
May 29, 2007 at 2:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
Ah. How I wish I could have gone to his grave on Memorial Day......and lots of other days. However, I am raising my family and the schedules and driving didn't add up.
Rest assured, though, my boys know exactly who he was, have all his photos and I share my exclusive & wonderful memory about him.
I miss him. More than I care to recognize.
M
May 29, 2007 at 7:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
Melissa, I am so glad that we have something in common. We do share some of the same views. It is really nice to keep a memory alive especially for our children and grand children. The stores of old are always the best. If you would give me more information I would be glad to at least lay a flower on the grave for you.
May 30, 2007 at 11:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
Aren't you sweet. Thank you for the offer.....but flowers were laid there for us already.
And I'll be there this weekend. I appreciate the offer, though.
M
May 30, 2007 at 11:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )