This is a little country cemetery in Lee County, Texas . . . it is the one I feel the most connected to . . . I can walk through this cemetery and tell stories about many of the residents . . . the family members . . . as well as the people who were their friends . . . I remember my Dad talking about some of them . . . and I remember Grandma's stories . . . I memorialized this cemetery in my Ode to My Family History back in January of the year 2010 . . . the little one in these photos is one of my grand-nephews . . . he will have these photos to show how he had fun in the cemetery on a spring day when the wildflowers were blooming in Texas . . . I need to write down the story of this day for him . . .
And walked among the graves
Of family and friends from long ago
Whose memory had begun to fade.
The graves were unattended
As were my thoughts of them
When a vision of the ages past
Brought back my sense of kin.
The vision showed the church lawn
On a crisp summer day
The table spread, the food prepared
And friends who would break bread.
All my relatives were there
both young and old
Grandma and I walked hand and hand
Sharing stories never told.
We laughed and cried
And shared our thoughts
And I found the friend
I thought I'd lost.
As the sun began to fade . . .
The church bell rang out clear
Grandma and the others
slowly disappeared . . .
Today I visited yesterday
And now the memory is strong
Of the family from which I came
AND NOW BELONG . . .
by Pat Conner Rice
