Memorial Day

Copyright © 2006 Barry G. Moses.


Copyright © 2006 Barry G. Moses.

My family visited the cemetery this morning in observance of Memorial Day. We met other family members at the grave sites of Rhonda's brother Steve, and her grandfather James. Afterwards, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch together.

While the family visited by the graves, I took a moment alone to find the graves of my great grandmother Alice Meiers and my great grandfather Donald Olsen.

I remember my great grandmother from my childhood. She had a stroke during the last years of her life and lost use of one of her arms. I remember visiting her when I was very small, and sometimes she would cry for no reason at all and my mother would tell me to give her a kiss, to "cheer her up." When I kissed her she seemed to smile and stop crying. It's a happy memory for me, and even now I feel a wave of emotion as I visit her final resting place.

On the other hand, I never knew my great grandfather. He died when I was a child, but my family had more than a few painful memories associated with him. Some of my relatives speak bitterly of him, but I still honor him every year at his grave. He is after all my great grandfather. I wouldn't be here without him.