Memorial Day

Memorial Day is tomorrow. We are to honor those who have fought for our country and lost their lives and Veterans who have fought for our country, returned home and since have died. I recall it as a time when my parents would go to the local cemetery in Decatur, IL where most of our relatives who had passed away were buried. Mom would pick Iris, and Peonies if it had been warm enough for the Peonies to bloom in time. She might be able to include tulips and daffodils, perhaps narcissus, flowering almond as well. We would take a bucket of water, canning jars or coffee tins to use as vases. Dad would take coat hangers and make hooks that would bend over the makeshift vases and then press the hooks into the ground which helped to keep the flowers from being blown over by the wind. We would go to the grandparents graves first and then other aunts/uncles or great aunts/uncles. As we placed flowers we would remember things about those people. Things they liked to do, a funny story, places they had lived and so on. It helped us children to learn and understand a little more about our heritage. I liked those times with my mom and dad.

Now here in Florida we are unable to go to the cemeteries in IL but we have a little one that passed away here in 2007. A week or so ago I went to the little country cemetery where he is buried and placed an arrangement of spring flowers in the monument vase. Remembering......