Family Tombstones

In accordance with old family traditions, Elaine & I took flowers to family graves here in the Seward Cemeteries this afternoon. Families include parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles. Our Peonies were slow to bloom because of our cool spring but we had enough for our parent’s graves. Beyond that we used plastic flowers. We were pleased to see the amount of decorating that had already been done before we got out. It’s always a solemn task which brings back many memories. The Seward Cemeteries are well maintained so along with all the flowers, and the many, many flags that are displayed, it makes for a very impressive scene. It’s a far cry from what I remember as a child when we lived near the Oak Grove Cemetery out in the country north of Garland. We would not only take flowers and water but also the old “push-type-reel” lawn mower to cut the grass on the family plot. Though that Cemetery was classified as “abandoned”some years ago, the County contracts for the mowing and care of several such ones in Seward County. This public service can be largely attributed to one County Commissioner who did much of the maintenance himself until he got the County committed to it. While at the Seward Cemetery this afternoon, I came across an old friend who is a couple years older than I. He had on dark-glasses and told of eyesight problems. We hadn’t seen each other for a few years and had to ask who I was. Later, I began to wonder if it was because of the way he saw or the way I look.