Today Karsten and I went to a Hospice Remembrance Service. Karsten was home for his fall break. Hospice has this service twice a year. There was a talk on the importance of remembering and some songs. The person’s name we were honoring was read and we went up and took off a rose pettle and floated it in a bowl of water. We were to bring an item to represent your person. I took a toothbrush. I shared that Neal was a dentist but when you use a toothbrush you think of your smile. Neal was always a positive person who looked for the best in everyone. You saw his smile in his whole body. Afterwards there were refreshments. It was was a nice service and made me realize that it’s a good thing to spend time remembering.
It made me think of the story in the Bible about Joshua. After he led the Israelites across the Jordan River 12 men each picked up a stone from the river and put them in a pile. In the future when their children asked what these stones meant, they were to tell them about the time God stopped the flow of the Jordan River so the Israelites could cross over. The stones were to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. (Joshua 4: 1-7) I have many good memories about Neal. How can my future grandchildren and Karsten and Collin’s future wives know about what a great man he was? Neal did share stories and answered questions before his passing on a recording and Grant downloaded them for a keepsake. We have lots of pictures of Neal around and have been telling stories about him. Karsten asked this weekend how he was like his dad. The kids all have a little of Neal in them.
On the way home from the service Karsten and I stopped at the cemetary to see Neal’s grave. Neither of us had been there yet. His headstone is not up yet so it’s weird to see a slab with “Smith” written on with marker. We looked around at some of the other headstones. One was a guitar, some had crosses, a tractor, cars, a farm, flowers. That’s how they are remembered by their loved ones. I wish now that I had put something symbolic on Neal’s. It will just have our names. But the cemetary is not where I will go to remember him. I have so much stored in my heart.
How will you and I be remembered?
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| Some good family shots! |
On the journey,
Trish