Memorial weekend was a bit crazy but I'm so glad that we took time to get away and to be with family, to think of loved ones and to visit the cemetary. I LOVE going to the cemetary... that may sound a bit morbid... let me explain. I grew up in Millville on the cemetary road and as a little girl I remember sitting out on the front porch watching long lines of cars following behind a big black hurse as they approached the cemetary... I remember going for walks in the evening as a family to the cemetary... it's a nice place to walk because there is not much traffic and it's quiet. I used to love reading the names of the people who had passed away, some of them I knew and the ones I didn't know, I'd try to imagine what they might have been like or what their story might have been- I actually still do that!! Our church youth group would clean up the cemetary as a service project. I remember taking buckets and rags and washing the headstones and pulling weeds... one other intersting note, my dad worked on the grounds crew at the Logan cemetary when he was dating my mom... he always jokes that she married him because of all the flowers he'd bring to her, if only she'd known where they came from!!! ha ha!! So I've just grown up loving cemetaries ...they are peaceful places... when I was in high school and in a disagreement with my parents ( yes, that happened often!!) I would sometimes walk up the road to the cemetary and sit in the shade of the trees to clear my head! anyway, you get the drift... I LOVE cemetaries!! My boys (and Glen too) have learned to share my intrigue and love of cemetaries and they too look forward to visiting and walking among the headstones! We have favorite headstones that we look for each year and find other interesting ones each time we go! We mainly go to the Logan cemetary though to pay respect and reminisce about my Grandpa Evans who died 6 years ago and then my mom tells us about her grandparents that were buried there and it's such a wonderful time to reflect and to learn more about our ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. There have been a few times that my Granpdma and Grandpa Murray drive with us out to Wellsville, a little town south of Logan, where they are from and we go to the cemetary there where their parents were buried and see the houses that they grew up in and the old barn that my grandpa milked cows in as a boy... I have lots of neat memories that come with memorial day!!
We went to the cemetary with my mom and dad and my brothers family. We have three boys and they have three boys... This was one of their favorite headstones... a giant ball.... go figure? There is also a legendary headstone there nicknamed the "weeping widow"... It's a large statue of a lady... the story is that if you go to the cemetary at night you can hear her weeping.. When I was in high school we stopped there after a group date and I have to say it was the one time that the cemetary was creepy!! Some other neat headstones include a baby in a cradle, a heart shaped one, and one that's shaped like a bench. some of my favorite are the old ones that are pink... not sure what kind of stone... but they sort of remind me of a bar of soap?.... anyway it's interesting to walk among them and read, not to mention a great place to get baby name ideas (My brothers wife is pregnant... so we were searching for her)
Gabe loved smelling the flowers... he'd bend down and bury his face in them then stand up saying "mmmmm"
Grandpa Evans... I can picture his sweet smile and the twinkle in his eye just below the brim of his fishing hat. He always wore a jumpsuit, light blue, tan, brown... except to churchof course! I remember him grilling hamburgers on the grill with a toothpick in his mouth. I remember him handing out the socks at our Family Christmas Party with a big hug and kiss for each of us! He was one of the proudest grandpa's of his grankids and his great grandkids that I've ever met and we knew it! He knew that he was going to pass away and called each of us to his bedside and made sure to share his testimony of the gospel and his love of grandma with us. He was so brave and so tender... a wonderful example, oh, how we miss you grandpa!!
my dad and my brother Steve with all the boys Mathew, Ethan, Evan, Eli, Gabriel, and Jeffrey
1 comment:
Geesh Em, I can hardly see through my tears to type this comment! I have always loved cemetaries too - it wasn't until I read your post that I made the connection, duh? (growing up so close to a cemetary and spending so much time there - we took Ruby on a walk through a cemetary just a few days ago) Anyway.... your post made me so homesick for our amazing family. I wish we could have been there with you all. What a perfect tribute to sweet Grandpa Evans - you described his personality perfectly! I can't believe it has been 6 years, I always think of him on memorial day too. We are so blessed! love you.
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