three years ago today...

today, may 21, marks three years since my grandpa pearce passed away.

around this time i always do something with the girls to celebrate the life he lived and do things that remind me of him. so this past week i took the girls on a little jaunt to picnic at the park and visit the historical farm.



the sights, the smells, the simplicity of farm life---it all reminds me of him.
as a little girl most of my memories revolve around grandpa's house and the farm. feeding the animals, collecting the eggs, milking the cows, bailing hay and yes, even shoveling manure. definitely a tomboy back then.

ashlyn was not quite 2 1/2 when grandpa passed, and, yes, we took her to the funeral. at that age, we simply told her that papa was sleeping forever. it took her a while to understand that he was not with us any longer. since then, i've tried many times to explain to ashlyn what death is.....and for the most part now she understands. but i could tell the concept of a cemetary just never quite kicked in. while, the trip to the farm isn't a long one from our house, it is a scenic one. one where we drive past a cemetary only marked with flowers, no monuments.

she piped up from the back seat, excitedly...."mommy, look----it's a bone yard!" a what? it finally clicked for her----but, where in the world did she hear it called a bone yard? after a little conversation, i discovered that the concept of a "bone yard" was learned from a cartoon she frequently watches.

so this afternoon over lunch we talked about grandpa and about visiting the cemetary. her mood immediatley turned somber and sad. she gets it. she knows that he's gone, and she's sad. i offer to take her to his grave and show her his name. she loved the idea. made my heart smile.

she conjured up all sorts of ideas of picking flowers, going to the neighbors to tell them about grandpa and pick their flowers too--the ideas spewing from her mouth so fast i could hardly keep up with what she was wanting to do. then she stopped. "mommy, can we call little grandma to have her come with us?" so we did. she finished lunch, hurriedly ran out back to pick all the wildflowers left in the garden, flew down the stairs to the studio and cut a length of sheer purple ribbon, got dressed in pink with a pretty skirt, ran halfway down the stairs and stopped.

"mommy, it sure is good i still have a picture of grandpa so i can remember him forever." yes, sweetie, it is.

and for that one reason, i am thankful i take pictures.
for her.
for me.
because i miss him.

so we went to grandma's, where ashlyn talked her into cutting even more flowers for her bouquet. then drove to the cemetary. i told ashlyn all about the momument and what all the engraving on it means. the girls washed the grass clipping off the momunent and left their flowers. grandma spoiled them with some icecream sundaes on the way home.