Memorial Day

I don't know why, but I love to go to the cemetery. Probably got that from my dad, who can spend hours and hours walking through cemeteries reading headstones of people he's never met before. Could also be because of how serene it is out there.

So today I clipped a bunch of lilacs off of our tree in the back yard and we trekked out in the pouring rain to make a few deliveries. :) First stop was Fairmount Memorial Gardens where my great-aunt and her mom are buried. I didn't know them very well. In fact, I can't even tell you what they look like. But I went to Darla's funeral (great-aunt?) three years ago and met some of the family I haven't seen in ages. Despite our lack of personal meetings, I feel particularly close to them. They are on my mom's side, and since I'm one of the only family members here in town, I choose to pay my respects for the family.

I was pulling from the archives on this one. I just remembered the general area of where the funeral took place, but not the exact spot. So with a prayer I set out in the rain looking for their headstones. I had all but given up and was headed back to the car when I decided to go down a row I didn't previously go down. There it was. :) Simple joys in life. Heavenly Father answered another prayer.

So here they are:







I was relieved that I was able to find their headstone, especially since nobody else left flowers. I didn't want to leave without finding them, so thankfully Heavenly Father was listening. :)

Onto Greenwood Memorial Terrace. George's grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Leppert, are buried up there. He has other family members buried there, too, and they're right in the same area as grandma and grandpa. On our way there it was pouring rain. I had the wipers on full speed to keep my visibility up! We wound our way up the hill to the top terrace where they're buried in the Church section. I pulled up, parked the car, and told Madeleine to stay in her seat because of how hard it was raining. George and I got out, walked a couple steps, and the rain instantly stopped and the sun broke through!! Wow! To feel of Heavenly Father's love, and to feel of our family's love, it was amazing!!!

I should mention also that on our way out from our house, I spotted a few dandelions on the outside of our fence. I picked those because the dandelion was Grandpa Leppert's favorite flower.

So, we laid the lilacs on the headstone, along with the dandelions on Grandpa's side, and then just basked in their love.









I miss Grandma and Grandpa Leppert all the time. I'm so thankful I got to be a part of their lives before they passed away. :) And I love their headstone, and told George I would love to have something like it to signify our eternal love for one another. Their headstone is of two people walking hand-in-hand along a path to heaven. You'd have to see it to know exactly what I'm talking about, but it personifies who they were. And now living together eternally. You can't ask for anything more than that. :)

Whenever I visit their grave, I also walk to the edge of that section and pay my respects to Camille's daughter, Leah. I remember the night Leah lost her life. We found out in trombone choir practice. Camille is who I call my "Spokane Mom". She was my escort through the temple, she helped me get prepared to go to the temple, and she took me in under her wing as her "daughter". She played "Echo Taps" with me on trombone at Grandpa Leppert's funeral. I love her so much and am grateful for her! So that's why I go visit Leah's grave. :) Respecting her and her mother. She got some lilacs too. :)