Memorial Day

Berryville Memorial Cemetery
Long lost relative we can barely read
Kids with their great, great, great, great grandfather
(yep! that's 4 greats!!!)

On this Memorial Day we went on a treasure hunt. A treasure worth much more than gold. We recently found the names of some relatives with the last name Baker. Our wonderful grandmother, Lorene, it is her father's family. Her father died with the flu epidemic of 1919 and she never knew him. Yet, his relatives are buried in a small cemetery over the hills and through the woods. While we were close by, we also went to the Berryville Memorial Cemetery which holds more relatives. It is wonderful to be able to pass on this appreciation to my own family.

So many graves are old, cracked, and illegible. Their families have moved on or passed away. Markers from long ago. I wonder about their lives and what they were like. What were their hopes in this life? I like to think that they smile from above when my three kids find their stone with excitement. Just to know that although they have been gone from this earth for sometime ~ their family legacy continues. Would Joey have their hair? Or Luke have their eyes? Or Faith their nose?

What thankfulness I find in my heart for moments like this. Days like this. To search and find those who are lost from our family tree. For everyone is important. Each family is a branch ~ each person a beautiful, unique leaf. I am thankful for my family tree and it is nice to step away for a moment and just appreciate it's beauty.

"There are only two lasting bequests that we can give our

children ~ one is roots and the other is wings."

H.S. Carter