Saturday, May 28, 2011

Memorial or Decoration Day

My Uncle Charles lived with his wife, Myrtle, immediately behind our home when I was a child in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Uncle Charles owned a bakery and on some occasions my parents would let me get up early in the morning so I could go with him on the deliveries. He delivered not only to grocery stores but, also, to some houses. I think this is why I'm drawn to bakeries and fresh baked goods. Uncle Charles had a heart attack and died. I recall the extended family gathering at their house. However, I do not have any memories of the funeral or burial. What I do recall, however, were Decoration Days or Memorial Days when the extended family gathered at the cemetery and decorated the graves of our family members, most of whom I never knew except for Uncle Charles. I recall that we, my cousins, my brother and I, would run and play among the tombstones while the adults placed flowers on the graves and trimmed the grass. We were repeatedly told that our activities weren't 'respectful' and we needed to stop. I guess we were too young to know what 'respectful' meant because after a brief pause we continued with our playing. After all these years, I think Uncle Charles liked the flowers and to have his grave grass trimmed but, I think he liked best to have his young nephews and nieces running and having a fun time around his grave. He was just that kind of person.

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