Remembering our Loved Ones at Christmas

Saturday, Jim and I went out 8 miles into the country to New Ebenezer Church to the cemetery to place some Christmas flowers on family graves.

First we put a white poinsettia on our plot and a railroad conductor

figurine dressed in a Santa suit near James' marker. He loved railroads and Santa so this was just for him! This will be our first Christmas in 53 years without having James around to celebrate Christmas, his favorite time of the year.

Our family plot is behind that of my parents, Lawrence and Ruth Wilson . We placed a big red silk poinsettia on their site.

Then I went to the first row of graves and placed a red poinsettia
on Mama and Papa Wilson's graves.

There is a beautiful arrangement on top of their monument and neither I nor my cousins know who placed it there. My grandmother Wilson's father, James Shorter Grimes, was the first person to be buried in this cemetery in 1903. Many of those buried in this cemetery are related to the Grimes families.

The cemetery was filled with pretty flowers and is well kept, with a large American flag waving over the graves on a flagpole donated by Hayes Funeral Home. We visit about once a month to check on the flowers and to pay our respect to our loved ones. We buried our son there to be near other family members.

First Cousins' Christmas Luncheon

I have several first cousins living in Elba now, and my brother Perry. I decided to have a special Christmas luncheon and invited all of them to come.

We are all pictured here in our den, after lunch.
My brother Perry Wilson and his wife Carol live in Elba. My 5 sisters live in MD, NC, and FL so none of them could be here.

The first cousins are all children of my father's sister. One cousin, Billy, lives in NC and he and his wife Lorrie could not be here with us.

The table was set with our Christmas dishes and a pretty Christmas table cloth. I plann the luncheon to include things we had for Christmas when we were growing up on the farm. We usually had chicken instead of turkey.

Our menu included chicken keiv (breasts), butterbeans, fluffy white rice, broccoli salad, apple & cranberry casserole, French rolls, tea and coffee. The most nostalgic item was the Lane Cake, made by my Mama Wilson's recipe and flavored with lots of blackberry wine.

Everybody enjoyed their meal and several had to hurry back to work. We got to visit longer with some of the cousins. I should have been standing on a stool in the back. I think I am the shortest of all at 5'.

Some of us will be gathering at Kathy and Bobby's home for Christmas Eve, after we go to communion at church that evening.

As you get older, it's so important to keep in touch with your family. We are enjoying being with our cousins since our boys and their families won't be coming for Christmas this year. We recently spent a week with each of them so we are staying home for Christmas.

We have been busy going to church cantatas (3 last Sunday!), dinners, and other events. Today we went to a Christmas Open House and later to Lowe's to look at dishwashers. We seem to always have one "ailing" appliance.

Today was a great day - lots of sunshine for a change. But also very cold. It's one of those days that you go about thinking "it's good to be alive and well, and enjoying life".