Today I drove to the Muddy Waters coffee stand in Lynden and bought a 16-ounce mocha. When my folks were still living, every Saturday I would go to Muddy Waters and get a 16-ounce latte with a package of raw sugar for Dad and a 16-ounce mocha (no whipped cream) for myself. Mom's order changed over the years from mocha to tea.
I had already stopped at Blossoms flower shop in Lynden and bought an African violet in a little pot. So I drove to Monumenta Cemetery, where the folks are buried. From Front Street, I turned in at the gate closest to their grave. From the road in the cemetery, I could see their stone. It has a plaque on the back commemorating Dad's service in the Air Force.
I parked as near as I could then took the violets and my mocha and went to their grave.
I stood before their grave while I drank my mocha. I told them they had been good parents to me. I thought about some of the Saturday visits with them. I stood just feeling my love for them. I said the Lord's Prayer. When I left, I quoted a few words from a hymn: "Till we meet at Jesus' feet, God be with you till we meet again."
I sat in the car and cried just a few tears. It's hard to have them gone. Death is such a strange thing. As I drove away, I sang the hymn, although I mis-remembered some of the words. I sang:
God be with you till we meet again,
In his arms securely hold you,
With his sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus' feet.
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
Here's a more correct version:
