A Time For Everything

I was reminded today by a former student that there is a time for everything. His mom shared with me an English paper he had written called, "Life Among the Dead" and it made me stop and think...alot. He began his paper with a quote from "Turn Turn Turn" by the Byrds. It was done as a protest song to the Vietnam War...back in the day...by the Byrds, Mary Hopkins, and Pete Seeger...but today...I had nothing to protest....today it was simply a reminder of the turn of events my life has taken over the course of the last six weeks. You see, I too had stopped by a cemetary, Hillview Cemetary, earlier in the week to check on my dad...and eventhough the flowers on his grave were all brittle and dry they still had a strange beauty to them....the dogwood tree and maple near the grave were both splendid with fall foliage, the air was crisp and cool and the evidence of seasonal change was everywhere. I walked from my dad's grave over to my brother's and then across the little roadway to my grandmothers and the rest of the family....I noticed that some of the graves between point A and point B had no flowers or sported very faded flowers....reminding me to be better about keeping flowers on the graves for which I was responsible. My dad loved flowers...His most favorite were peppermint azaleas and camilias. Anyways, I am digressing....while walking I noticed that some of the graves had new shiny markers...reminders that someones holiday's are going to be difficult this year...mine included. As many times as I have been to the cemetary over the years I became increasingly aware of the sites and smells that were around me. The studied little bell tower and noticed that it was needing some loving attention. I noticed new fall flowers had been placed on a number of the graves...a sign that someone loved this person and wanted their final place to look nice. There was a little chipmunk sitting right on top of my dad's flowers. He looked up at me as I approached but did not seem the least bit afraid of me. His eyes were kind of sad...as if mirroring my own. It has been a little over a week...and life does go on. After reading Addison's paper this morning I must borrow a thought from him..."the cemetary's primary purpose is to harbor the dead, [yet] it also supplies a quiet home for surrounding life to prosper." Addison was right in reminding me that "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." There is a time to be born and a time to die...and I was also reminded that...I can become a living dead....or make my life count...my dad did...and I know he would expect me to do the same. Life goes on. Obla Di...Obla Da!