Memorial

Posted by Justine | May 24, 2008 | 8 Comments

This weekend, I’m afraid, too often descends into a free-pass weekend of boating and TV watching, and not enough time spent remembering the many people in our lives who have sacrificed to see us here. No guilt, though, about boating or tv, we’ll be having plenty of picnics and water games ourselves…

But tell me, on this Memorial Weekend, who do you want to remember? Who sacrificed their time or their lives to make your life easier? Were they sacrificing in the military? Were they sacrificing in their home?

We’re on our way to the cemetery, I’ll report in on our memories when we return.

Category: Daily Special

Comments

8 Responses to “Memorial”

Wendy
May 24th, 2008 @ 11:18 pm

Justine, I didn’t notice this was you until after I clicked on “No Comments.” We were not a boating family, but what you said rang true. Memorial Day marked the first swimming party of the summer at our neighbors house. It usually lasted most of the day, and ended with bad sunburns and a lof of fun memories. It just about KILLED me to join the in-laws after getting married–a trip to the cemetary and then have a dry picnic and watch movies? BORING.

But then I started understanding that Memorial Day has a purpose, and I do have loved ones to remember. And then a certain family got a decent size inflatable pool, so the picnic wasn’t dry anymore.

I have since really enjoyed the cemetary trips, even adding the Saturday trek to SLC. It was neat to see the gravestone of the great-grandfather our son was named after. I have quite a few ancestors buried in that same cemetary, so next year I will bring a list and a map of my own (if I can find that list).

Ever since my Grammie died last year, I think of her on Memorial Day. Which then leads me to think of the other wonderful grant-relatives who have passed on (she was the last and therefore who I grew closest to). My Mom was an only child, and most of her aunts were childless, so they doted on us like we were their own. I’m very grateful for the rich heritage of love from my extended family.
Wendy
May 24th, 2008 @ 11:20 pm

I meant “grand” relatives. It’s late.
Justine
May 25th, 2008 @ 10:40 am

Cemetery visiting was a new thing for me too when I married in… I have exactly one relative buried in this country. But I’ve really grown to love the activity, too. I think I’ve grown to love it more as I see my children connecting in a new way with their ancestors and their heritage.

And visiting a cemetery isn’t the only way to adequately remember our loved ones, and I find that we’ve really strengthened the filial relationships with both our living and dead heritage. This has definitely become a more meaningful holiday for our family in the last decade.
Jennie
May 25th, 2008 @ 5:56 pm

My grandparents, greatgrands and several great aunts/uncles are all buried in the same cemetery in Provo. I used to drag my kids down every Memorial day to bring flowers. We’d always brings some extras to put at a grave that had none. With so many people visiting the cemetery it was actually kind of festive. I found it kind of a happy place since there was so much evidence of love and “families are forever”. I’m sure if we had more recent, tragic losses, it would have been different for us. But I always thought is was a meaningful way to tie the youngest generation to the older ones.
I never cared much for life in Utah, and was happy to move to Texas, but spending my first Memorial Day away from all evidence of relatives is making me a little gloomy this year.
Jennie
May 25th, 2008 @ 5:58 pm

Here’s another question that I’ve wondered about: Do you think that dead people care that we visit their graves? Or is it purely for the living? I really would like to hear people’s view on this.
nanajan
May 25th, 2008 @ 11:43 pm

My husband’s family has a great tradition of decorating graves on Memorial. You can check my blog for our day’s cemetery visiting at jprserenity.blogspot.com
Justine
May 26th, 2008 @ 8:35 am

Jennie, I’ve thought of that question before, too. I imagine they don’t care much if we’re actually at the grave, but perhaps they feel happy that we’re thinking of them.

We visited President Hinckley’s grave on Saturday, and that was a really cool experience. It was neat in the sense that the kids “knew” him in real life, as opposed to all the other graves we visited that were just names and people they’d never met.
Tiffany
May 26th, 2008 @ 10:53 am

I posted on my blog about two people I want to remember on Memorial Day.