Victoria

It is the memorial day weekend and I am going to honor it by telling you a memory. My dear grandmother, Victoria kept one of those large spouted metal watering cans on her back porch near the steps. It probably held close to 2 gallons of water. How this wisp of a woman lifted it is a marvel.

As I remember it, my grandmothers flower garden was huge. And yet, when I think back to it's actual size it was not so big. The roses grew along one side from the house to the back fence. Perhaps 20 yards. In the early morning when the dew was still on the grass, she would travel this line pulling the Japanese beetles from the heads of the roses and putting them into an old Coffee can which I now know held kerosene. There would be no spray on her flowers. She daily protected them from her arch enemies!

The peonies were pink and the size of saucers. Their leaves lush and dark green. I can not bring back the memory of their location in this garden. I can only remember them cut and ready.

As memorial day drew near, the old metal flower containers would begin to appear on the back porch next to the watering can. On the Thursday, she would begin to clip these prize flowers and put them in to the containers to get ready for the cemetary. You see, my grandmother had a beloved husband and son to remember. And she did it with pride and simple grace. Her heart was in this chore.

On Sunday we would load the flowers and watering can into the car and make the short drive to the cemetary. I was too young to understand the emotions that were going on for her. I can only imagine the flood of memories each and every Memorial Day. My job was to go across the cemetary to the water spigot that stood on the very far side. This was a prized job for me as it seemed a long way to travel alone to fill the watering can and lug it back by myself.

These days, it will be my job, in a week or two when I travel back to Pennsylvania, to take my mother to the cemetary. We will t ake preplanted flowers in wooden containers....My grandmother is there and so it is important to remember her as well. I own the watering can now and it is a treasure. I will still made that trip to the spigot but it is not so far any longer.

We all have memories to share on this weekend and I am glad that we set aside a time to Remember. There is a sweet Shepherd's Bush Pattern that simply says "Remember".

Spend some time over the next days doing just that. Remember all those you love or have loved.