Gallivantin'

Last Friday my dad and I went gallivantin'.  We spent all day looking for dead relatives buried in cemeteries in Edgefield and McCormick counties.  It was a little emotional, a little morbid, and a lot of fun.  It was kind of like going on a treasure hunt. My dad told me stories that I'd never heard as we spent all day going down memory lane.  It all started a few weeks ago when he mentioned that when he is dead and gone that no one in the family would know where our relatives are buried.  So I told him that we should go out one day and let him show me everything he knew.  We actually found some graves that he'd never seen before -  my great-great grandparents.  I took 4 or 5 pages of notes and directions to cemeteries.  (One is in the middle of the woods somewhere near McCormick, SC.)

 

In addition to grave sites, he showed me the house where he was born.  The black church that he used to attend with his black mammy.  (I know that's not politically correct these days, but that's what she told him to call her when he was a kid.)  We also went to the site where he grew up as a teenager.  It was a wonderful day with my dad.  For those of you that don't know my dad, he's 76 and still in great health.  He works two days a week for the construction company that he's been employed by for years.  So it's not like he's on his last leg or anything.  We just thought we should take that trip while we had the opportunity. 

 

It was a little emotional for me because the reality of it all hit me.  My mom went to be with the Lord 4.5 years ago and daddy knows he's already passed the average lifespan for an American man.  To go on a trip with your aging father and see the graves of those he grew up with who are already gone and knowing that his time is sooner than ever, it just put a lump in my throat.  To hear his tales, often funny, of times gone by were enjoyable and priceless but also a little sad.  Dad knows his prime years are behind him and I guess that makes me sad.  Yes, he still has the health and ability to make many more memories but after living over 3/4 of a century, I was reminded that the same is happening to me.  

 

A few weeks ago I turned 45 - halfway to 90!  Time is passing.  It's not waiting on me.  I have to make the most of each day and every opportunity.  I need to take time for my wife and kids.  I need to give time to the Lord.  I need to accomplish what He's called me to accomplish.  I want to finish strong and finish well.  Because this one thing I know for sure,  one day I'll be finished.  At last, here on earth.  Then comes eternity, and that will bring a whole new meaning to life!