it's that time of year once again when we pay tribute to all of our friends and loved ones that are no longer with us....
My family and i went to the cemetaries today, rather than tomorrow, to hopefully avoid some of the chaos and frustration involved every year with the hords of people trying to get in and out of one place at the same time.. of course this didn't help, as apparently 95% of the population had the same good idea as well... [img]eek.gif[/img]
4 seperate cemetaries, on the 4 opposite corners of the city that i live in... with lots of walking at each place... i always find that sort of interesting, though... 2 of the places we have to go to have graves from WWI... so old and weathered you can't read most of them... though if you take a charcoal pencil and a sheet of paper and shade over them, sometimes you can read the names and dates...
It's a big family deal for us... my mom and dad... brother and his wife... their kids... they are just now old enough this year to ask questions about who these people were, how they are related to them, when they died, how they died, etc... some of them were so young...it's a sad time, but it makes you realize how much you are a part of things, and how you are connected to the ones that left you behind, even when they are no longer here....
my mom's father died when she was only 4, so she never knew him... but she sat in the grass with the boys and told them stories about how her father was the best baseball player in practically the whole state... when the old-timers that knew him see her, they still never fail to tell her about how if he had wanted, he could have been a pro baseball player in the big leagues... *smiling softly*... all 3 boys are extremely talented baseball players, all state every year, with the team my brother coaches being on a winning of streak of about 65 wins to 0 losses since he took it over.... pretty good record for a buncha little leaguers... s* i know i'm rambling, it's just odd sometimes, when you actually take time out and stop to notice the circular way of things... old generations... new generations, and how they come together...
visiting there doesn't bother me... i suppose because though they are my relatives, they are people that i never knew... i am far more interested in learning the history of them then i am sad and upset... not so with the visiting of my grandmother and grandfather's graves... the moment i find their graves and kneel down in front of them, i am instantly ashamed that this is the only time that i bother to take 5 minutes out of my busy life to show that they were, and still are important to me, and that i miss them more than probably most people will ever know or understand... i look at the overgrown and dirty plaques, and think to myself that they were such good people... they deserve to be honored and remembered more than just one day a year... so i gather up my garden spade and carefully dig around each one, clearing away all the grass and earth grown up around them.... sweep the dirt away.... carefully clean and polish them until the stone shines and the gold lettering gleams... tears standing in my eyes as i wonder if i could have been a better granddaughter while they were still alive... if they are looking down on me right then... whether or not i have yet become a person they can be proud of.... painstakingly arranging each flower in each vase until they are perfect... so that all that pass will know that there are people there that are cherished and loved... and still respected and missed enough for someone to come and care for them, even in death...
wow... that was a nice, long, run of rambling.... i guess that's the perk of having a board that belong to you.... whether anyone else reads, knows, or cares... you can express the way you're feeling.... and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it besides sigh, roll their eyes, and go on.... rawk on! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
it was just a rough day physically and mentally.... as it is every year... you feel your own mortality as with the addition of each year, there are more places to visit... more flowers to buy... more people to mourn for.... *sighs*... momentarily, we will hear james earl jones talking about how everything and everyone must die, and that damned goofy "circle of life" song will begin playing softly in the background... *G*
that's it for being sad, introspective, philosophical, and dramatic, i'm sure some are thinking... s* just don't forget to honor the people who matter to you that are no longer with you today.... they deserve it... and also let the people that ARE still with you know how important and special they are... because none of us ever knows when, in the blink of an eye... that opportunity will be gone...
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thank you for sharing those stories, Thats how our loved oves live on, through the sharing of memories of those who have passed with those still living. That was very touching. [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]just don't forget to honor the people who matter to you that are no longer with you today.... they deserve it... and also let the people that ARE still with you know how important and special they are...
rog
*HUGS*... thank you... [img]biggrin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]
Thank you to the Air Force , Army , Marines and Navy for keeping the United States free and safe. I am proud to be a American.
pete
you're right, pete, though i didn't think of it... i'd say there are a lot of people this memorial day mourning the loss of loved ones in iraq. I saw a special on HBO the other night i think it was... i can't recall the name... but it was a documentary on the happenings in iraq... they showed the soldiers coming in wounded... losing arms and legs.... crying in pain and saying over and over that they just wanted to go home.... i couldn't sleep after that... [img]frown.gif[/img] we should all take a moment to think about the mothers and fathers that have lost their children... and the children that will never know their mother or father because they will go and never come back....
i know i already told you this on the phone sweetie...but im really proud of you.. all that work you did..and the fact you were hurt to begin with...it took alot of heart...and alot of effort...
Dedication by: Kristin Marie 09-11-2001
The lines had been drawn
And then they were crossed
No going back
To what was lost
The tears are shed
In a moment of dread
And fear rides high
Like the winds that sigh
And the angels cry
For all of those who were lost
In an act of war
Please bring us peace
So we cry no more
He Came Home by: Kristin Marie 09-24-04
And he came home
On a dark and stormy night
From a foreign war
Wounded from the fight
And she was there
Waiting for him to arrive
The months that had passed
The not knowing
Swept aside
He told her
I’m not the same
I’m not the man I used to be
She said it doesn’t matter
You’re home
That’s enough
That’s everything
All the days
The long and lonely nights
My feelings for you remain unchanged
I am standing right beside your side
They can take their war
And they can change our lives
But they won’t beat us down
They won’t take our pride.
<img src=http://dl2.glitter-graphics.net/pub/4/4065ns1t777sdj.gif width=363 height=339 alt='myspace layouts, myspace codes, glitter graphics' border=0>
thank you baby... *vbs*.... it means the most coming from you, so it makes me happy that you are proud of me for somethin.... [img]graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/kiss.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]
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