On Memorial Day, my mother decided that we should visit my father’s grave in honor of the holiday. I was surprised by my mother’s request. You see, neither she nor I have visited this grave since my father passed away. And, we live only five minutes from the cemetery.
Out of respect for my mother’s request, I agreed. And then I found myself walking up and down the rows of gravestones, looking for where he was buried, wondering what I would do or say once we found him.
We never did find the gravestone that day, but as we walked each row, we thought about him and felt connected to him in those moments.
Perhaps my way to grieve is not sitting at the foot of a gravestone and thinking of the day of my father’s funeral. I’d like to think that my grieving is less about a visit to the cemetery and more about pausing for a moment whenever I think of him.
This message is an excerpt from a Women of the ELCA blog by Jennifer Michael. Today is Memorial Day, a federal holiday for remembering and honoring those who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces.
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