Yesterday was the anniversary of my mother’s death. She died 33 years ago. I was 27 years old. It seems like yesterday. It seems like forever ago that I had her in my life. That’s not true. I have her in my life every day. Every. Single. Day.
Mom died on December 9th. Daddy died on March 13th. Lucy died on August 23rd. There are other things that happen on those days. But through the years those are the days that I call my sister and my brother or they call and we wonder how it could have been so long ago. We wonder what Mom and Daddy would think of us now. And we think of what they would have thought about our children. Now I wonder what they would have to say about my grandchildren. And, with Lucy, I worry about Jay and Brittany on that day to make sure they are doing all right. I know that others were affected by her death, but I just worry about those two. I know that Lucy is well taken care of. In fact, I’m sure that Mom and Dad have to fight to be able to play with her.
But that’s not what I wanted to talk about here. I wanted to talk about those dates. The dates on the calendar. Every year I remember those dates and I’m reminded of those people that I loved so dearly. And I wonder who will remember those dates when my sister and brother and I are gone. Who will remember our little baby, Lucy, when Jay & Brittany are gone. Those dates don’t really mean anything to anyone else. I don’t want those dates forgotten.
It’s like Pearl Harbor Day and D-Day. I think so many people remember those days because so many died. There were so many. Of course these days people don’t remember like my parents’ generations did. But today we have days like September 11th.
Memory is an important part of who we are. And it’s important to remember where we came from. My new grandson Luke, loves to look at himself in the mirror. When my daughter-in-law told me about that I told her that he came by that honestly. There wasn’t a mirror that my dad could walk past without looking at himself. My grandson obviously wouldn’t know that. My son would never know that because he never met that grandfather. But I assure you, my dad would do that. And I don’t know why I remembered that when I did. It just popped out.
There are days that I wish I could remember every story there is to tell about Mom and Dad, if only to pass them onto my grandchildren. So as bits and pieces come up I am totally compelled to share them with my children, who are curious and my grandchildren so they can pass those stories on.
And here are the dates that are important to me:
Lucy Nicole Gravatte – born and died August 23, 2016
Carilynn Fay Sapp Pierce – 12/25/1935 – 12/9/1985
Freddie Dale Pierce – 6/30/1935 – 3/13/1977
Irene Phillips Pierce – 7/22/1905 – 6/23/1980
Lee Pierce – 2/7/1906 – 6/10/1964
Helen Rosella Heil Sapp Hicks – 1/15/15 – 6/9/1971
Parke Hicks, DDS – 1/31/1901 – 1/2/1968