Memorial Day kindness touches hearts -Picture by Bobbie Meidel

Memorial Day is a day for remembering those who served, and those we love.

This past Memorial Weekend, a friend Bobbie Meidel went to visit a relative’s grave at Cradle Land in Calvary Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. When she arrived, she saw 75 windmills and about 50 little flags decorating almost every small grave.  She didn’t know who did this kind act, but she said, “It was a heart warming thrill to see all those pinwheels spinning in the wind, showing that all those babies have not been forgotten.”

Bobbie knows the heartache of loss herself.  “As a bereaved parent myself, this precious sight made me feel so delighted.  Even though our daughter isn’t buried there, I was excited about all the Mothers who would be coming out there, how good it was going to make them feel.”

A similar thing happened to my husband when he took his antique tractor out to the Macoupin County Spring Festival and saw a bench donated in the honor of his late cousin David Ladage.  Dave had spent a lot of time working with the Macoupin County Agricultural Association and it was so wonderful to see him remembered.  Most of our early antique tractor and farm toy collecting memories include Dave.

In both cases, these acts of kindness helped with the grieving process.  Thank you antique tractor collectors for remembering Dave and Bobbie wants to tell whoever did the thoughtful act at Cradle Land, “Thank you for sharing your grief in such a loving gesture from all the bereaved parents and grandparents.”

If you are thinking of making a gesture do so, you could touch many.  Remembering those we love with this Memorial Day.