Truly, I do.
I love it because I love cemeteries and I especially love seeing them full of people and flowers.
I know that for many, visiting the grave of a loved one is a bittersweet experience. Personally, I love it. I love going and seeing that name on the stone, tracing the dates with my fingers and remembering the happy things which happened during the dash.
I love the green grass and the wind rustling through the leaves on the trees. I love setting down the flowers we brought and seeing how the bright yellow mums makes a beautiful contrast with the green and the grey.
I love going with my dad. He's not much of a talker, but on Memorial Day, standing next to the stone with his parent's names beautifully engraved to be remembered for always, he shares stories. Some I've heard before, but somehow he still--every year--manages to tell at least one story which surprises me.
I can't imagine what it's like, to lose a parent. I hope that I don't have to know that pain for many, many more years. I know my parents both miss their parents. My dad shows his grief by sharing beautiful stories of love and service and happy times. My mom sometimes stops everything she's doing and stares off into space for a moment--then her eyes fill with tears and she smiles sadly and I know she's thought of something which reminded her of her mom.
Family is the whole reason for existence.
We are born into a family, we grow up wishing and hoping for true love. Eventually we form families of our own. If we're lucky, we get to raise children, and watch them create their own families. We live, work, breath, and exist to make families. That's human nature. Better--that's God's plan.
I love Memorial Day, because it's a moment in our terribly busy schedules to pause and remember how much we love our families.
This weekend, hubby and I got the chance to squeeze in visits with both sides of our family. We spent Sunday with my parents, making the pilgrimage up to Cache Valley to visit the cemetery and my Grandpa's second wife, my sweet Grandma Lois. I didn't take a lot of pictures (mostly because it started hailing on us and I was so cold and surprised I totally forgot!), but I took mental shots!
Imagine this: a lovely cemetery on a hill, surrounded by old trees and scrumptiously green grass. The ground is wet and everything sparkles with life. Marble stones dot the ground in neat rows, with mums of every color splashing vibrant yellows, reds, pinks, and whites across the scene. My family smiles and laughs and shares memories of our grandparents.
My sister surprises me by sharing a faint memory she has of Grandma, who passed away when she was two and a half. "I remember getting to the house," she says, "and Grandma laughing and saying 'Oh! You made it!' and giving us all hugs. I remember I liked her laugh."
After visiting the cemetery, we drove up to Grandma Lois' home and had a little visit. Her kids were coming over to spend the afternoon and evening with her, so we only staid about an hour, but it was a lovely visit. We talked about her family and how she came to adopt all three of her children. We pulled out a large photo album and she talked us through hundreds of photos documenting her life. It was so much fun to sit in her parlor, listening to her talk, and soaking up stories of her life.
I love my Grandma Lois.
Instead of continuing all the way south towards home, hubby and I stopped in Ogden and spent Sunday evening and most of Monday with Angie's family. Aaron's mom was there and it was so much fun laugh and talk and play games with my nieces and nephews and wonderful family. I did well for myself, marrying my husband. He has a fantastic family and I love spending time with them. I finally clicked into photo mode and took loads of delightful pictures:
 |
| makeup-less me and sister |
 |
| Logan canyon in the rain |
 |
| Darin jammin' out on the guitar |
 |
| hubby and our oldest nephew, with one of our gorgeous nieces in the background |
 |
| our oldest niece :) |
 |
| the baby, walking to grams :) |
 |
| puzzles with uncle :) |
 |
| me and the nieces and nephews :) |
 |
| picnic time :) |
 |
| Dad and daughter |
 |
| Grams and the baby |
 |
| Frisbee time! |
 |
| ah, young love :) (or the beginning of a tackle, one of the two ) |
 |
| Angie and Darin's family! |
Monday night we stopped again at my parents (I forgot my jeans there, and since I only own 2 pairs, I figured I needed them. Plus, it gave us an excuse to spend more time with family).
It's a good thing we stopped, because while I sat at the kitchen table teaching my mom a dice game I'd just learned at Angie and Darin's, I noticed there was something wrong with my ring.
To my horror, one of the embellishment stones on my wedding ring was gone! The prongs were bent wackily and there was a gaping hole where the little marquis diamond should have been.
Had I been thinking clearly, I would have taken a picture.
But how could I think clearly? My wedding ring was broken! To make matters worse, I have only had my wedding ring back since the end of April. I had stopped wearing it in December because I knew there were problems with the prongs, but we couldn't afford to have them fixed. We saved up, and in April had my ring fixed--and now it was broken, a diamond missing, and no way in the next five years we could afford a replacement.
I say it's a good thing we were at my parents, because the jeweler we go to is only minutes away from where they live. Hubby called them and they said to rush on in, even though it was close to closing.
Rush we did, and I bit my lip to keep from crying. I know that a ring is only a material possession--but my wedding ring! It's the physical symbol of my marriage, my family, my love and devotion to my adorable husband! I was quite distraught.
We got to the store, and the lady looked over my ring. I had just gone through their company to have the prongs fixed, so she mumbled over the ring for a minute, went and had a word with her supervisor, filled out a little bit of paperwork and told me gently I could pick it up on Thursday.
But wait--how much is this going to cost us? I asked.
We're just going to assume it broke because of something we did, she said. We're just going to take care of it.
I could have kissed her.
So while I'm without my wedding ring this week, I'll be getting it back soon, and for no cost. I'm counting this a miracle.
Speaking of miracles, I have a little something I'd like to say:
I love Jesus Christ for coming to earth and atoning for my sins and worries and hardships. I'm even more grateful to God, our Eternal Father, whose divine plan called for a Savior and who loves us enough to prepare happiness for us now and in the eternities. I like to plan out my life, but when Heavenly Father tells me His plan is better than my own, I've learned to pay attention. The last many months have been a challenge--dealing with infertility treatments and fears--but Heavenly Father asked me to be willing to be a mother, so I knew it would all work out in the end. I have a little announcement I'd like you all to take a peek at. Enjoy :)
