In Rememberance Of Me.

Mom's marker, I think she would have really liked this pinkish rose color of the stone.
Front view of mom's stone
Another angle, I think the real flowers are from Wanda, the pinks from me and Dad's arrangement is behind Wanda's, Susi had not made it yet.
Debby and Danny, the twin, I always place something there for mom.
From right to left, James, mom's younger brother killed in the Korean War.
My grandparents, Clyde and Opal Davis Stevens
Another shot of James marker.
Aunt Shirley, Uncle Donald's wife, a very funny lady who enjoyed good food and good fun!
Aunt Loretta, Uncle Junior's wife, skinny as a rail but was a very special person and worked very hard to make her family a good life.



Memorial Day or Decoration Day as the old folks called it, is a holiday for some people from work, a time to go out on the lake or rivers, have a few drinks, grill up some burgers and dogs and relax. As a kid, we never did any of the above, my folks never even owned a bbq grill, ever! But one thing we did was go to the cemeteries. We visited those with our family members resting in peace and even cemeteries without family members. Us kids loved climbing on the tombstones, and I like to think that those folks buried and dead kind of got a kick out of the laughing and racing around on the mostly quiet and solemn grounds. We took flowers to the graves of great-grand parents long gone and especially to the tiny grave of out older brother and sister, twins who died right after birth, babies who if not for their death I might not have been born. The weather is usually pleasant this time of year, mild with sunny skies, just right for a picnic somewhere. For many years we traveled with other family members to a local rest area near Conway to enjoy the nice clean shaded picnic tables. I'm afraid the tradition of taking flowers to the graveyard is a quickly dying tradition, most people don't want to spend the money or time to decorate a marker for a couple of weeks a year. It is one tradition I am holding true to, I will continue each year to buy the flowers and decorate graves, It's something I want and need to do, not just that I think it will help me remember mom, but I think of her everyday and miss her, but it makes me feel good to know that others See her stone and know her family cares about and misses her. It's just important to me! Have a safe and healthy Holiday weekend. Love you all.