She wanted to visit her mother's grave, which we did. The cemetery was crowded. We saw that the flowers planted there not long ago were still present and the grass seed we had thrown down had sprouted and was actually looking like grass.
We had gone out and bought a few plants, for home. It was very pleasant day weather wise, a great contrast to the entire preceding week. A week which was marked for its complete lack of sun and almost constant rain and drizzle. So when the sun burst forth so did the people.
There were hundreds walking about in our community. They walk around the lake, which is ringed with a path and a road which make it a natural circle. At 2.6 miles it is long enough for a pleasant stroll. The water views draw people.
In the late afternoon, I took the dog out for a walk, we walked down to the path that runs over the dam. Most of the walkers were gone home and were probably settling down for dinner or the end of the weekend. I too enjoy the lake view and the breeze off the water.
As I walked across the dam on my way home, I spotted a man with two young teenaged children in the distance.. They appeared to be carrying a large potted flowering plant. They moved closer to the lakeshore and appeared to be staring off into the distance. I slowed my progress, I actually stopped walking and turned to look across the expanse of the water. I was still about 100 yards away, but their actions were clear to me.
The man had his arms about the shoulders of each of his children and he had placed the potted plant next to a bench which is set up to allow people to sit and observe the lake . They stood shoreside Sometimes people just sit there and contemplate the world . I know it to be a place where sunset shows its beauty. I never sit on that bench, although I think I shall sometime in the future when I come to realize with certainty that my hurried approach to living does not make more of a life. More of a life will be grabbed with the feel of the sun on my face, with the wind and the water lapping at the shore. When I grasp the idea that watching the sun dapple off a body of water is meant to give us a life, not deduct from our time in life.
It was a sense, a vibe and unmistaken feeling I was getting from the man and his children. But I was also getting the sense that the mother was gone. There was no mother for this family to be with on mother's day . But yet they wanted to send her a message of love with a pretty plant and a remembrance. They stood still gazing on the lake, in what looked to be a prayerful few minutes, arms around each other, holding each close.
It was one of the most poignant moments of my life and I was absolutely clear as to what I was witness to, so I held my spot so as to not intrude on their space and time. Soon enough they gathered themselves and walked, hand in hand, a short way up the street to their car and left the area. With their departure I could continue on toward home. But I was stunned by the realization that as happy a day Mother's Day is for some it is profoundly sad for others. The thought of the motherless children caught in my throat as these feelings do more often as I descend into the world of the old sentimental fool.
As I passed the bench, I went close to see the flowers, to see if they were really what I thought I had seen. They were. The flowers were a pretty pale yellow and the leaves deep green, they were beautiful. I also came close enough to the the bench to read the dedication.
It read : "The Mothers Club Remembers the ones whose spirits have forever left an imprint in our hearts"
