Visiting Family

I admit that I did not go to the cemetery to visit the graves of my parents or relatives very often between the burials of other family members. I just never made that a priority in my life. That does not mean I did not think of them often, especially on their birthdays and holidays. However, I did appreciate others who made it a priority to do that. I used to think that it was a gift that they were given.

Since Eva’s passing, things have been different for me. I think about her every day and write about what she means to me often, but putting new flowers there for her on special occasions like her birthday somehow makes me feel closer in those moments. I understand that it is just an emotional reaction. Jennifer, Kaylee, and Aurora accompanied me on this visit, as they often do. Aurora enjoys the ducks at the pond near Eva. They like being around her until she decides she wants to pick one up. At three, she still does not understand what the place is, or the reason for flowers everywhere or why the flowers do not smell the same. To be young and innocent is a blessing.

Monday is Eva’s birthday, and Tuesday, July 29, is the 47^th anniversary of my Dad’s passing. I have been thinking about him a lot in the last several months, and I wanted to take flowers to Mom and Dad (Christine and Gilbert Ray) while we were there. It was a reminder of how close Mother’s family was in life. A few spaces over were her mother and father (Imogene and Waldron Jones), and on the other side were her older sister and her husband. In between was her sister’s oldest daughter. Many more of my relatives, like my sister and her husband (Joyce and Ted Golden), are there, but we could not visit this trip due to the mosquitoes attacking Aurora. They were especially bad in that area due to the rain.

They say the time to visit is while they are still alive and not after they are gone. Standing there, I simply remembered the good times we shared when everyone was alive. We are not born with an expiration date stamped on our feet that tells us when our last day will be. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, old or young. Treat each new day as if it could be yours or someone else’s last day.