Decoration Day

This day, the last of May used to be Decoration Day, Memorial Day.  It was a day off no matter where it occurred in the week.  My grandma would have me take her to the cemetery to put peonies on her parents and her husband's graves.  Peonies in a little glass jar lined with tin foil as I remember it.  There were no store bought flowers.  This time of year it was peonies.  Grandma had pink and red and white ones.  And ants crawled on them.

My mom doesn't like to go to graves.  She does decorate the graves these days as a duty, but doesn't like the cemetery.  I love cemeteries.  This decoration day I was thinking about that and I wonder if it is because I am Catholic and I believe in the resurrection of the body.  I believe in the communion of saints and ask my dad and grandma to pray for us.  When I go to the cemetery where they rest, I feel close to them.  My mom is Methodist and I am not sure what she is supposed to believe, but I have heard her say that she doesn't believe our bodies will be reunited with our souls.  She thinks that when we are dead our bodes are useless and no more a part of us.  She only prays to God and not the dead. 

I only worship God, but I believe in the communion of saints who can and do pray with me. I believe that I can still feel close to those who have gone before me marked with the sign of faith.