Storytelling Sunday - Visiting Cemeteries

When I was growing up, we always visited the Drew Cemetery when our family went on “vacation” to visit relatives in our home state of Mississippi. My maternal grandparents & great-grandparents are buried there. We always made a stop to put flowers on their graves, and remember. Visiting the cemetery is really the only memory I have of my grandparents because they passed away when I was 2 and 4 years old. Over the years, Sister was buried there and then Uncle Billy, too.

Years later, in 1993, Papa Bill died – my paternal grandfather. He was buried in the Cleveland Cemetery, another small town not far from Drew. I was grown by that time and didn’t make as many trips back to Mississippi to visit, but on those rare occasions, I would visit both cemeteries and put flowers on the graves, and remember.

In 2001, a few months before I met Robbie, Grandma passed away. This was the hardest one for me as I was truly Grandma’s favorite and she spoiled me like no one else. She always said I was “like a ray of sunshine” every time I would stop by for a visit. She was buried in the Lehrton Cemetery, which lies between the cities of Drew and Cleveland. Now there are three cemeteries to visit and more graves to put flowers on, and more family to remember.

I don’t get back there very often anymore, but this past spring Robbie and I were able to make a two-day stop there when we were traveling for one of those unproductive job interviews. And, of course, we made the rounds of all three cemeteries. It will probably come as no surprise that I always leave behind a trail of yellow flowers. I like to think that maybe somebody will pass by and think that Melissa must have been here recently to leave flowers, and remember.

This post is part of Sian's Storytelling Sunday series. To read more stories, click here.