Happy Memorial Day!

 Usually Memorial Day finds me searching my garden for the last of the peonies and a few late roses.  It usually lands between the last of the late spring flowers and the first of the summer flowers.

This year we had the earliest possible Memorial Day, and an unusually late spring.  This year I was looking for the first of the peonies to go with mounds of roses and irises!

As I've mentioned in past years, it's our family custom to decorate the graves of our loved ones and then come home for a big cookout full of food and family stories.

If I grew flowers for no other reason but this, I would grow them!

 I love to pick out favorite flowers for each person.

I love to think and pray for each of them.

I love all the stories we tell about our dear ones - all the funny things, the kindnesses, the joy.



This was the first year that I did it for my beloved mother in law.

It was hard.

I discovered that some part of me really does have peace and joy that she is with the Lord.  Some part of me feels her closeness.

And some part of me has really had enough of her being gone and can we just stop with the being dead thing already?

Being with family, grieving together, remembering together makes it easier.

Having a specific way to remember, and to show our love makes it easier.

Prayer makes it easier.