We Are Community 204
It is Memorial Day weekend and for some that means a day off work and a trip to a lake to go camping or to travel to distant places. For me it is a bit of a sad trip down memory lane. When I was growing up, we always “decorated the graves” of friends and family. We raised iris, old fashioned roses and peonies which bloom around “Decoration Day” so we would wrap tin cans with shiny foil and pack buckets of fresh flowers and visit the local cemeteries.
The cemetery at Argyle holds my mother’s relatives. Her parents and her grandmother are all at Argyle. I suspect that I am related to most of the people there as the names are all familiar to me. Flowers go on the graves of my grandparents, my great grandmother and relatives I never met like “Old Reb” Murray and a couple of friends who are also there. The cemetery at Argyle is sad as many of the stones lie broken or in sad repair. I am not the last of the family left to visit as there are new burials there.
Then the next stop is Colchester where my immediate family lie as do my father’s family. On a bit of a hill are my parents, my brother and my two nieces. I must admit that it is sad to visit my immediate family there. Also at Colchester are my father’s three siblings and their spouses, some of their children and his parents.
I have given up the live flowers but I think that silk flowers are nice and they last much longer. In fact, I usually remove the flowers from the year before when I place the new flowers for my family. There are many names that I know in the Colchester cemetery as well.
All holidays can be sad for those of us who are left. We remember the times spent with family and friends in the past. We miss them and we feel lonely but we have to remember that we did have them in our lives and remember the good times.
Though I am past the age of retirement, I still run two businesses. One because I love antiques and the people I meet in the antique business and the other to give people a safe, reasonably priced place to stay. I received a call after 10 pm from someone I did not know this week asking for a room. Turned out they wanted a room for that night. I am sorry but that just doesn’t work for me. I was not asleep but I was upstairs and settled in for the night. Though the Bible urges us to give food and shelter to the needy, sometimes that just is not realistic.
Got all of my plants out of the garage this week. Also bought some new flowers and some tomato plants but they are not planted as of yet. Have been trimming some of the plants and some of my yard but have a long way to go. Also got one fish pond cleaned but have two to go. Looks like I have no fish left so after I get them cleaned, will buy some new fish. I buy “feeder gold fish” from the pet store in Macomb. I like to think that I save a few lives. Actually “feeder fish” get pretty large and even some are live- bearers so I get some babies sometimes. I think the walnuts dropping in the ponds caused the fish to die last fall.
Had a nice couple in the store this week who bought some lovely vases and planters. They are planning to open a flower shop in Macomb called “Bloom Macomb”. Sounds nice. I wish them much success.
Have a good week. Hope you enjoyed your Monday off from work but also hope you remembered those who have gone on before us including family, friends and members of our armed forces. Be especially kind and loving to others this week as they may be having an extra difficult time this holiday.