The dictionary defines a memorial as “A place or structure designed to remind others of a person or event.”
There are memorials all around us. Statues, churches, buildings, highways, gardens, parks, stadiums, ta da, ta da, ta da.
It’s an honor to be remembered!
Reminders are not only for ourselves but we hope our children and future generations will acknowledge the lives, actions and sacrifices of hero’s, and honor exceptional people who lived sacrificial lives.
In the light of the deaths of recent local hero’s, many want to be a part of establishing an appropriate memorial.
But this column is about recognizing our 4-legged fur baby, Tea Cup, and her relationship with 2 generations of G-kids. Hubby and I sat on the porch in the quiet of the Sunday evening heat. “Nary a breeze“ as Grandma Hattie would say..we watch birds flying through the yard sprinklers.
The hurt from the recent loss of our fur baby, Tea Cup, is real and raw. We are waiting on her headstone to arrive(She had a pre-need contract with Midlands Pet Cemetary where she is now buried beside her Papa, Little man, who lived to be 17 years old.) Tea Cup sleeps wrapped in her favorite blanket,
in a pink coffin. She will have a polished granite headstone etc. “But why did you bury her so far away?” my grandkids ask.
Sixteen years she’s been in this house with our growing grandkid family. They’ve got a point. Few visitors would visit the Gaston Cemetary.
So I gave it some serious thought! Why not make a memorial, here, in my front yard? I will
move my flamingos to a shady spot, toward my magnolia tree. The honeysuckle vines winding around the side gate make the air fragrant. I arranged some river rocks in a circle. Then Becca and I set some solar lights around the circle and soon I was in my truck headed to Cayce Farmer’s market to get some marsh grasses to mingle among the flamingos. Next step, a bench from Lowe’s and a nameplate for Tea Cup. I’ll get that from Jenny at Paper Pro. When finished there will be a comfortable place to rewind memories of Tea Cups life.
Another memorial? There’s a restaurant our family loves at Murrells Inlet, SC . The “Dead Dog Saloon”.
They have a memorial wall of framed photos of customers’ deceased fur babies. ‘Little man’ has been on that wall for 5 Years! When the kids are on vacation they can see Tea Cup has joined her papa on that wall, in yet a different kind of Memorial. It doesn’t ease the pain of our loss but at least we acknowledge that these special pets had a warm place in our hearts and lives and they will never be forgotten.
Have a great Memorial Holiday, Y’all!
