Attention is paid

I went to the cemetery today, the first time I had gone on Memorial Day in years.

I said hi to all four of my grandparents and talked to Gram about the house we are building on the land she left us.

The cemetery is accessible but not very wheelchair-friendly, so I didn't go see the other people I knew there. It's OK, I know, but I enjoy cemeteries. They are peaceful, and the grave stones tell such good stories.

There is the one with the droids from Star Wars and another with a circus wagon. Others mention that the person fought for us in this war or that -- one of those in our cemetery is a Civil War vet (and is actually a Confederate, so I guess he wasn't fighting for us).

Even the dates make you think. The last time I was there -- last summer -- I noticed that one Gram was born and died on the first of a month. Her husband was born and died on the 12th. Mom and I looked around at the other graves, and it is not common but it is not that rare. All I know is I am watching out for 29th's.

My grandparents all have good spots. One set is right off the sidewalk so I see them easy. Gram Trott has three books on her stone because she loved books and kept a library in our church. Her husband technically may have a copyright violation on his side. He worked for years as a salesman for Travelers Insurance and the umbrella protects him now.

My other set of grandparents are near the main street past the cemetery so they can watch the traffic, and they are under a nice tree to provide shade. I blame Neil Gaiman and his Graveyard Book for the image I could not shake of my grandparents as ghosts sitting in lawn chairs, sipping drinks and watching traffic. They have symbols, too. Granddaddy has an old-time hand-plough that he really used (he was the only one I know born in the 1800s). Gram has some wheat stalks because she was a baker and gardener, too.

As we were leaving, I noticed this grave that said the husband was born in Vienna, Austria, and the wife in Dublin, Ireland. How great is that? Who knows what these people were like, but they were born indifferent countries, traveled to a third, found each other and got married. That must have been a neat story. I am glad I got to know a little of it.