Mother’s Day 2024 was a good day for me. My ex-wife, Eileen, had chosen to take a waitressing shift and let the kids know they could stop by for the brunch special and see her at the same time. Eileen extended the invitation to me also and I was glad to go.
I went after mass and met with my father-in-law, three of my kids and three of the grandkids. My son Sean and his girlfriend Beth had the family over on Saturday so some of the other kids didn’t come to the brunch. I enjoyed a fantastic meal at my son-in-law’s restaurant- as always. If you’re interested, I had scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and biscuits and gravy from the buffet, then topped it off with pumpkin pie, a brownie and soft ice cream!
The conversation was great and, unfortunately for us, the place was very busy, and the kids and I didn’t get much of a chance to talk with Eileen.
I usually visit my son’s grave on Sundays. He’s buried at the same cemetery my parents, mother-in-law, and a few other friends and family have been interred so, as morbid as it sounds, I usually go “grave hopping” when I make the trip there.
I was still an active police officer when my son, Daniel, died and one of the bright spots of that terrible week was that my department directed traffic at the cemetery and treated us like VIPs.
As I approached the cemetery, about an hour’s drive from my home, I saw the local department had cones up and officers were busy directing traffic. My first thought was sadness thinking some other family was going through what my family is still dealing with; then I realized that it was a Sunday- no funerals on Sundays!
I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I did quickly figure out that they were dealing with a Mother’s Day rush! My thoughts changed from sadness to happiness that so many people were paying respect to their departed mothers. I had never seen such heavy traffic there!
My son’s grave is not far from the entry gate that I used and it still took me about five minutes to get there. My parents graves are on the far side of the cemetery so I decided to go there first to see if traffic was lighter- I couldn’t find a place to park by Dan’s grave!
My parents are buried near my aunt and uncle, and some close family friends. I was able to park there and spent some time. When I returned to Danny’s site it was still busy so I parked a section away and walked.
It was bittersweet to see so many people there. Nice to see so many people visiting. Sad to see so many people mourning the loss of loved ones. As I write this I’m wondering if I am as confused as I sound?
Anyway, it was a beautiful day in Chicagoland. Sunny, the temperature hit 84 degrees. I hit a few golf balls on the way home. I talked to most of the kids during the day!
Win! Win! Win! Win!
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Happy Mother’s Day!
Phil