Making Memories

My daughter, Tyrah, and I have recently returned from a short trip to visit relatives. We stayed with Aunt Cheri and Uncle Geoff who opened their camper for us to sleep in. How much fun is that?

Mom, Aunt Cheri, Tyrah and I spent a day at the cemetery decorating graves. This was an opportunity to also explain to Tyrah about relatives, their names and what we knew about them. We decorated graves of grandparents, great grandparents, great, great, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and of course, my Dad's grave.

Since Mom left her witching sticks at home, she told me to break two coat hangers and make witching sticks for Tyrah. It didn't take long before Tyrah was wandering the cemetery witching for graves. Soon people were asking her what she was doing. She was proud when two people who tend to the cemetery asked her question about her witching sticks. It was comical seeing a nine year old instruct them on holding the sticks and show they go together for a male and apart for a female. I know Mom was proud of her also.

As we began decorating the graves of some great grandparents, Mom reminded us that Aunt Grace has a child born in about 1914 or 1915, buried in that location, sex unknown. Tyrah began witching and discovered where the child was buried and that it was a baby boy. Mom checked her "work" and had the same information. She made believers out of many people who took the sticks and did their own witching that day. As needed some wire to anchor flowers pots, I broke up both of her sticks. That brought on a serious pout and words from her. Aunt Cheri promised new and better witching sticks, which she made and gave Tyrah before we left.

While there we drove past the places where my grandparents had lived. The restored park fountain across from my paternal grandparents' house was a highlight of the trip. Seeing my daughter there brought back memories of when I was her age and would play in the park and watch the lights on the fountain at night. Now she has her own memories of visiting relatives, both alive and dead.