Growing up, holidays were something to relish, celebrate, and enjoy. There were a couple holidays that were mostly “BBQ holidays.” It wasn’t until a couple years ago, that Memorial Day was more than a day off from school, and a day for barbeque’s with friends.
As I grew older, the more cemeteries I visited, the more they intrigued me. The peace I felt there. The timelessness ever present. The feeling of a time or place from the past. Memories of those we love.
The designer grew up a few blocks away from the town cemetery. They visit often and have many relatives resting throughout the plot. Losing his father a couple years ago made this cemetery even more real for me. As we gathered with friends and family three years ago, the first Memorial Day after his death, Memorial Day became alive to me.
I had never been to a cemetery on Memorial Day before. Never had I seen so much color celebrating lovely lives. The beautifully adorned graves, friends and family everywhere. Neighbors, life-long family friends, all there to celebrate as we were: the lives of those we love and miss dearly.
Time stands still as friends and families embrace. Truly a beautiful sight. The designer’s Aunt Kathryn will take you on the “tour” visiting the dozen ancesters burried throughout the site. As you walk, you see friends doing the same thing. Another beautiful thing about a small town. Gatherings such as these bind our hearts together in unity, love, and hope.
As I contemplate the void that we all feel with the absence of the designer’s father, I am grateful to know there is a plan, and that he is at peace, happy, busy, and ever teaching. Today we celebrate his life, the life of his parents, their parents…our heritage. Those truths they’ve taught us that will surely reunite us all once more.
Tonight I am thankful to be a part of this gracious day. To share it with our kiddos, to celebrate with friends and family. Memorial Day will still mean Whiskey Springs, hikes, riverside watching, lawn games, BBQ delights, golf, shopping with the girls…but it will also mean so much more. Just so glad to be a part of the “more.”
the daily delights by katrina berg 
We should really do the “walking tour” with Kathryn when we are there. I have fond memories of going to the Cedar City Cemetery as a young girl and listening to my grandparents tell stories of our ancestors buried there as well as in Holden, Springdale, and Brigham City. What a great thing to reflect on and to have a day of rest to reflect on.
Kathryn is such a fun “tour guide.” She’s always so energetic and makes it a wonderful experience. Can’t wait to see you!!!
next year i’ve decided to go to a cemetary on memorial day! great tradition!
Hi Julie 🙂 I think that even if you don’t have family or friends burried at the cemetery you visit, you’re right: it’s a wonderful tradition, full of stories, history…
I think some of my favorite gravestones are of people I do not know and the people I imagine they were.
Something I’d like to do when the kiddos get a bit older, is to learn about a person or two burried in the cemetery we’re visiting…what their stories really were. Fun history lesson with a bit of detective work!