I will be leaving tomorrow morning at 7am eastern to go to my home town in Alabama for Decoration Day so I will be off the computer until late Sunday night.
For those who don't have this tradition; Decoration Day started decades ago when it was the responsibility of the families of those buried there to keep the cemetaries neat & clean. One day a year the decendents of those buried there come together to mow and weed and put fresh flowers on the graves. It is sort of a community wide reunion. Some communities do this on Mother's Day and some do it on Memorial Day. My hometown does it on Mother's Day. Even though most cemetaries are now maintained by landscaping companies some communities still have Decoration Day to the extent of putting fresh flowers on the graves and visiting with each other.
We used to go over on Friday evening and put out flowers at 5 different cemetaries for my husband, my grandparents and my great-grandparents on Saturday. Then on Sunday we would go back spend some time at three of them visiting friends and relatives who were there for the same purpose. Some of my cousins have moved far away and this is the only time I see some of them.
The fact that it was on Mother's Day was never a problem because we never had big plans for that day, we just gave mother a card and/or a gift. However, ever since my sister re-married she never goes and always plans something for the mothers (ours & her mil) so we have started cutting short our trip so as to be back home on Sunday afternoon or evening. This year we will be coming back home on Saturday afternoon and will not even be there for the actual Decoration Day.
"Live your life so that you are not afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip."
Posts: 4044 | Location: NE Atlanta (Chamblee, Doraville, Norcross, Duluth) | Registered: March 15, 2004
We are back and it was a really good trip (except for mother being her usual rude unreasonable self to the motel staff).
Mother had called a couple of my cousins to let them know when we would be there and they in turn got on the phone and spread the word. The result was between 23 & 26 family members (from mother's family) met for dinner Friday night at a local bbq place.
Saturday was spent with daddy's family. We ran into one of my cousins while having breakfast at McDonalds and asked him if his mother would be up that early. He said he knew she was up because he had talked to her on the phone so we went to her house and ran into another one of her sons who was there mowing her grass. She is my daddy's youngest sister. We decided we would all go visit their eldest sister who is 96 and still lives alone. When we got there we found her son & dil were there & guess what they were doing. Mowing the grass . He has just recently retired. He worked for years in Columbia, South America at a coal mining facility and only came home once a year. I haven't seen him in years so that was a happy surprise. Last year his daughter won the Mrs. Alabama Contest and they all went with her to California for the Mrs. America Contest. She did not win that one.
All in all it was a good trip even if we were off our usual schedule.
"Live your life so that you are not afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip."
Posts: 4044 | Location: NE Atlanta (Chamblee, Doraville, Norcross, Duluth) | Registered: March 15, 2004
When I was young, my parents went to the cemetary at least once a month to bring flowers. I have noticed that people don't do that as much anymore. I myself, have moved so much, it would be impossible.
My mother in law passed away last May 6, so this Sunday we are going to leave her flowers. She is there buried with her Grandmother and her mother.
Be safe and Happy Mother's Day to you !!
Posts: 1378 | Location: West Florida | Registered: March 12, 2004
Have a safe trip BMom!!! We have Decoration Day here in Mississippi as well. It is on Labor Day at the Cemetary where my father, uncle, grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents are buried.
P.S. I remember, when I was a kid, that some people called Memorial Day "Decoration Day" and I just thought that was an old war-time name for it or something. I had no idea that it had a completely different meaning! Wow! I'll have to ask my mom about it when I call her Sunday for Mother's Day.
Posts: 7298 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
. He has just recently retired. He worked for years in Columbia, South America at a coal mining facility and only came home once a year. I haven't seen him in years so that was a happy surprise. Last year his daughter won the Mrs. Alabama Contest and they all went with her to California for the Mrs. America Contest. She did not win that one.
