Peonies and Roses / Happy Graduation!

My husband and I had been invited to attend my little sister Julie's daughter Kaylee's graduation on this day. It was to be at 7 p.m., at the East Juniata High School, where I also went to school many years ago. The school is a hop, skip, and a jump from my little sister's house. We agreed we'd stop at their house, get our tickets to the event, and ride with them. My sister asked us to be there by 6.

My husband and I kicked around a number of plans that might have included visiting some family members in assisted living. But in the end, the forecast called for thunderstorms around the afternoon's end, and we decided not to complicate things. So we decided to postpone the visiting to another day.

With June approaching, my heart has been wistful with thoughts of all of the fun June things we used to do and the family celebrations we used to have. My dad's birthday and Barb's are the 4th and the 5th; Barb and I liked to plan a vacation trip to Atlantic City sometime during her birthday month. Father's Day is in mid-month.  My husband's birthday is the 17th; same day as my Mom & Dad's wedding anniversary.

It is hard when someone you love passes. You have all of this love in your heart just bubbling up for them, and nowhere to put it all. On my walk on this morning, my little music box played the Don Williams tune, Till the Rivers All Run Dry, and I admit that I cried. Sitting on the porch with my husband after my walk, I told him that I missed them all; was there something I could do to put some love on them, even now?

So we came up with a modified plan. We would leave a tiny bit early so that we could grab a takeout hoagie at Sal's, head back to my parents' house, eat it on the porch, and then I'd walk around the yard and cut flowers for their graves. After picking up our tickets at 6 at my sister's, we'd drive the 5 minutes to St. John's Church, decorate the graves, and arrive at the graduation service before 7.

Having a plan actually made me feel instantly a little bit better. So by sometime in the afternoon, off we went, down the road, grabbed our takeout, and made it to Mom & Dad's. It's still strange to go there and not have them waiting on the porch, or sitting on their favorite love seat, holding hands, smiling and laughing. I walked all around their yard and took pictures and cut the most beautiful blooms off: peonies and roses.

Now, every year on their wedding anniversary, my mom and dad would pose in front of or behind the prettiest peony bush in their yard for an anniversary photo. In one of their final years of living, my mom was no longer capable of walking very far; my dad drove her to the peonies in his lawn tractor and yard cart. 

Mom could not walk as far as the peony bush any more, so Dad brought HER to IT. Basically, he arranged an accommodation, which cracks this former Manager of Access up! My mother's assistive technology was Lee Colyer On A Tractor!

My parents are no longer able to go to their peony bush for their anniversary photo, so I decided to bring the peonies (and roses) to them, and to Barb. So that is exactly what we did. I cut the blooms and sat sorting them on the front porch at their house, by my feet. 

In the meantime, a huge thunderstorm came up, and we were happy and grateful for the shelter of the porch, as things turned gusty and wild. The lightning flashed. The trees swayed. The storm abated just in time for us to leave the house to get our tickets at Julie's and head to the church.

We hopped into the car, went to their house, visited a little, and took photos of our grads. For yes, this is a wonderful story: my little sister AND her daughter are graduating on the same weekend! Julie graduated on Saturday with her associate in accounting. Kaylee graduated this evening from high school. Both of them, with honors.

Julie and Kaylee had decorated Kaylee's mortar board with family photos, and I couldn't resist putting a picture in the extras. Yes, you have seen all of these dear faces on these pages, and they are all in Heaven waiting for us now: Mom and Dad, Joseph, my big sister Barb, my brother Robin's wife Cindy. 

So it was that all of them got to walk with Kaylee on one of the biggest days of her life! Of course, I was wearing my I Love You To the Moon and Back necklace that Barb gave me. And I put a (temporary) blue butterfly tattoo on my right foot. So Barb was riding with me, too, as she so often does.

Suddenly, out came the sun! They took off for the school and we took off for the graveyard, where I spent a happy 15 minutes or so in the sunshine, playing with flowers on their graves. I am a person who loves cemeteries, and finally, I was doing something to honor them. I know that decorating graves may seem silly to some; but I know this: when I walk into a graveyard, I enjoy seeing all of the love and remembrances. It matters. It really does.

I left most of the flowers there for Mom and Dad and Barb, but I did take a peony or two and a few roses along home with me, to remember them by, and to enjoy the beauty. These blooms are some of the sweetest blessings of summertime.

My dad was so pleased and proud of all of the flowers in his yard. He liked nothing more than to take me on a little walking tour in summertime, as soon as I got there, showing off the blooms. I'd take pictures, of course, and I sent him and Mom and everybody in my family my blip-story links every day that I was on email (which meant every day I worked). 

He knew the photos I'd take might end up in stories the whole world could read, and I think that pleased him somehow, made him proud. Just think, the whole world, getting to see Lee's roses! My mother loved my stories, and my dad asked me to please write every day if I could. And for so many years, I did. I felt like he was walking with me still, as I toured his yard this June. It is both happy and sad. Yes, I am walking with ghosts now.

From the cemetery, we drove to the high school, where we got to participate in a joyful family event, finally! The ceremony was lovely, the kids were outstanding, and we enjoyed it immensely. We got to watch Lee and Norma's youngest grandchild walk and get her diploma. Their youngest child AND their youngest grandchild, TWO diplomas in the same weekend, wow! WAY TO GO, DOLL BABIES!!!!!   :-)

I tell this story with a whole lot of love in my heart and even a bunch of tears. I miss the ones I write about. Telling you stories about them helps to bring them near for me. I think their lives and times are worth the tales, and the songs, and the laughter, and the tears. 

Happy birthday, Barb and Dad. 
Happy Father's Day, Dad. 
Happy wedding anniversary, Mom and Dad!  
I celebrate you, and I send you my love.

I have two soundtrack songs. First, for the photo above, I've got the Statler Brothers, with I'll Go To My Grave Loving You. Second, for the photo in the extras, of Kaylee's mortar board, filled with memories of those she loves, on one of the biggest days of her life, I've got Don McLean, with And I Love You So.

P.S. There are two sort of odd things I realize I forgot to include in this story, so I'll add them here. 
1) When I was at my parents' house, getting into our car in the rain as the storm began to abate, my pink umbrella, which has been such a good friend during this rainy spring, POPPED! It wouldn't go up OR down! Finally, I forced it shut so I could get in the car. Farewell, my good and loyal servant! (The next day when I examined it, the umbrella worked FINE. It is showing much wear, so I'll probably use it as a back-up now. But I think the Pink Umbrella Pop was my parents saying Hello!)
2) The whole time I lived there, my parents had lady's slippers growing on their property. On this visit, I went to look for the flowers. They were GONE. I mean, GONE. Not even a LEAF. I said to my husband, "What? The lady's slippers grew FEET and walked away?" What? Those special flowers only bloomed in the presence of my parents, and now they too are gone? My husband suggested that perhaps it was (at least in part) LEE-magic that made all of the fancy flowers grow!