MEMORIAL DAY

Today is Memorial Day 2009. What a wonderful day for reflecting on times past. As a small child I can remember my mother's family gathering at the little Baptist Church at Danelyton in Greenup County, Kentucky to decorate Grandpa Burchwell's grave and the grave of my Mom's oldest brother, Charles. Grandpa Burchwell was killed in a timber accident in December, 1937 and was buried on Christmas day. Charles died in the 1940's from cancer. As the family would gather Mom's older siblings all had a story to share about "Poppy" or Charles. Other people from the community would also be there decorating the graves of their loved ones. Some of them had known my grandfather and uncle. One older man in particular used to speak of my grandfather with great fondness. He said it was always something special when the preacher would call upon my grandfather to pray in church. He said he had never heard anyone that could pray like my grandfather. Well naturally this always made me quite proud of a man who had died sixteen years and twenty three days before I was born!

As I grew older our family began to experience more deaths, especially on my Father's side of the family. One by one my Dad began to lose his aunts and uncles. Most of these people were very special to me. My Dad was real close to most of them and we had visited their homes many times when I was a child. Five of these uncles lived very near to where I live today, all of them within a ten minute drive of my house. Some of their old houses are gone. Three of the houses are still standing and only one of them is habitable although it stands vacant.

Three of these uncles are buried in the Jordan Family Cemetery that I maintain with the financial support of several of the family members. Every time I enter that cemetery I do so with a great amount of respect and reverence. Not only are three of my great-uncles buried there but two of them have their wives buried alongside them. My great Grand Parents on the Jordan side are buried there as well. To me this is a special place. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve my Uncle Con and Aunt Hattie. Once I turned about ten years of age my parents would let me stay with them for four to five days at a time in the Summer and on Christmas break from school. Uncle Con loved to hunt, fish and trap. He also was a great hand at gardening and worked his ground up with horse drawn equipment. This was all very exciting to me. Aunt Hattie wasn't to be outdone. She was the best baker I have ever known, bar none! She made biscuits that would put Bob Evans to shame and no body could bake a cake as good as she could.

Of course as I have gotten older I have lost my other grandparents, my father and six of his siblings. My Mom has lost two more brothers. The old saying is true, time stands still for no one.

I am now fifty five years old and I realize at best I have but a few years of life left. I just hope and pray I can leave behind some good memories for my children and grandchildren. Hopefully one of my grandchildren will stand beside my grave some day and hear some old saint of God brag on me as the old man used to do in regards to Grandpa Burchwell.

All of us have but a few years in this life to live. Live them for the Lord my friend and live them well. Our day is coming you know.

Just something to think about.

Pastor Jordan