Visiting our Family Cemetery Plot ~Taking Care of Important Business

My parents are buried here. 

They farmed and made a home in this community their whole life.

This cemetery is a beautiful place, with

the mature trees, green grass, and blue sky above…

It is just so peaceful out there.

The only thing you can hear is the sound of the breeze

blowing through the branches.

There were years, when the lake was at its highest level,

 that this road was under water, and we couldn’t visit the cemetery.

Churchs Ferry Cemetery

Established in 1897

My Daddy was so proud of his service during World War II.

He died 35 years ago. I still remember the Veterans, in uniform,

folding the flag that was draped on his casket,

and presenting it to my Mother.

I remember that, like it happened yesterday.

My parents were married in 1946.

Five years later they had a baby that lived for only 24 hours.

They named her Twila Rae. My mother never got to see that baby.

I think that is just about the saddest thing. 

My Aunt Vivian, my Daddy’s sister, held her.

She said that Twila was just the prettiest little baby.

Hubby and I purchased this Memorial Bouquet

to place by the headstone.

It was only a few years ago that we could get in there again,

and I discovered that there was no marker for my mother’s grave.

This was another one of my priorities for the weekend.

We chose a piece of granite that is a close match

to the headstone and Baby Twila’s marker.

Deciding what we wanted etched on that stone took much thought.

We included her middle name and maiden name,

as her mother and a few of her siblings are buried there in that hometown cemetery.

Her faith was strong, so the praying hands were an easy choice.

She had requested no flowers at her funeral,

so I was not about to have them permanently etched onto her Marker.

The Monument Company gave us

one of their yellow flags to mark the spot.

It has been 10 years since she was laid to rest here.

Now, her grave will have the appropriate marking, right between

her husband and their baby.

This was a good visit.

It had been an emotional two days.

We needed some time to process all we had seen,

the discussions we had, and the decisions we made.

An evening at a favorite hometown restaurant was just what we needed.

A Smoked Chicken and Spinach, with Creamy Havarti Cheese

on a Lavosh Flatbread Cracker was the perfect ending to our day.

Take care,

~Natalie