MEMORIAL DAY

It is so far away from the Memorial Day of my youth, that I almost forgot about it. To begin with, Memorial Day is May 30 (or is it 31)not this silly last monday thing. We spent weeks before going to the cemetary to "clean up". That entailed cutting grass around the stones, making sure the roads were pasable, fixing anything that looked broken or out of place. We did about 10 plots, for family who lived away and friends. Dad built flower boxes and we went to the nursery and purchased geraniums, marigolds, sometimes petunias, and other hardy flowers. Then we would plant them in the boxes and put a bow on them and take them to the cemetary a few days before the day. Mother made certain that everyone in the extended family and friends had flowers on their lot. We visited cemetaries in the country where long gone family members were buried.
On Memorial day morning, we would go to the cemetary and out of town family would stop by and visit and then we would adjourn to our house for a picnic. Some brought food, others just an appetite. They knew there would be food for all and especially cake and home made ice cream.
Some of us would go to the 11am service of memory for the servicemen at the cemetary and I remember the haunting sound of taps being played.
As I grew older, Mother and Dad printed flags with the Presbyterian cross and members of the womens group would take them to the cemetary and spend a day putting the flags on the grave of every Presbyterian in the cemetary. Mother had maps made and kept them up all her life so no one was left out. It was (and still is) a beautiful sight to see all the American flags on the graves of veterans along with the Presbyterian flags.
I remember the year after Mother and Dad died, I was really upset as I went to the cemetary to do the first Memorial Day without them and I saw that there was no Presbyterian flag on their graves. Apparently, no one had updated the map and they were missed. But there has been a flag every year since then. I wonder when they will finally wear out and not be replaced. That tradition is at least 55 years old.
Mother finally gave in to artifical flowers a few years before her death, but Dad always made a box for Gran Mitchell.
I like family plots that have sidewalks around them and Dad and Uncle Harry always wanted a bench so they could sit and visit "after". Mother nixed both ideas, saying it was too much more work for the grounds keepers. She was right of course. But still, I would love to have a bench.
Today we seem to celebrate Memorial Day as a holiday..s long weekend away from work to go play and enjoy. I suppose there is nothing wrong with that, but I still love getting together with family and remembering the ones who are no longer with us and telling the youngsters stories of the past family. We don't do that often, but this year my cousin and his kids arranged a get together. We will go the the cemetary and then gather for a good old fashioned family day. I look forward to it. I will take pictures.