Aside from being a day off work and a marker of the start of summer, Memorial Day is a time for us to remember those who served our country in the Armed Forces. We also remember other loved ones who have passed on. I have spent the majority of my Memorial Day this year in remembrance of my departed and dearly missed free time. It's coming up on finals for Spring quarter, and I'm swamped. I was happy to have a day off from the clinic to be able to complete (and in one case start) some big projects due this week.
However, I did take some time to remember World War II Navy Veteran Dennis Gail Latham or, as he was more commonly known, Grandpa Hook.
Last time I visited his grave I took flowers and had a hard time finding it. I think he was playing tricks on me. One of my cousins suggested that if I had brought a deck of cards and some hot dogs I might have had an easier time finding it. I'm not as big a fan of cold hot dogs as Grandpa was, so I went with another of his favorite snacks. I took her suggestion to heart and brought the cards, a Snickers bar, and a Coke.
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Somehow, from beyond the grave and with an overturned box to hold his cards, he still beat me!
I found his grave easier this time. In case anyone was keeping track, the grass is green now. They've taken away the little spot of desert he and Evelyn were enjoying a few months back.
A family having a picnic with their loved one nearby asked if we would like an extra flag they had to place on the grave we were visiting. They probably thought we had come unprepared. I declined. The way we left it was much funnier, which is what Grandpa Hook would have wanted.
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Happy Memorial Day!
