The Drive

After leaving my father’s farm, I decided to drive the short distance to where my mother’s grave site is located.  Two miles from the farm take a right, go about another mile south (not too far past Edna’s old farm!), and there is the tiny, almost hidden cemetery.  The autumn-clad trees surrounding the small meadow wore reds, golds, and coppery hues that my mother would’ve enjoyed.

Small lilac bushes planted by my brother and sister-in-law  near her headstone were brilliant red.  Lilacs were her favorite flower, and it is one of the few things we have in common.

I lingered there for a short while, and asked mom if she had had a chance to welcome Dad up in heaven.  Almost on cue, two deer ran from the woods, crossed the road in front of me, and disappeared. The way they were frolicking, playful and joyous in form, seemed reminiscent of the parents I knew as a child.  For a moment I was frozen, and then melted as my heart warmed at the thought of them at peace.

“Thanks for letting me know you found each other,” I said, and drove on.  It was the best part of my day.