A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of past events.The funeral home called to let me know when to go down to the country to meet the guys who were going to place my sister's stone at the head of her grave. They call them monuments now but BigD and I were talking about how we used to call them tombstones or gravestones. I guess it's splitting hairs because they all mean the same thing....a grave marker.....
We got there a few minutes before the crew arrived and walked around a bit. It was interesting to watch what they have to do. I noticed Daddy's foot stone had been pulled up and was turned around and when the lead guy noticed it, he began working on putting it back and making sure it was lined up with Mama's foot stone. I made sure I called the funeral home when I got home to let them know how considerate their crew was in performing their job.
I was impressed by their attention to every detail in making sure everything was lined up. They moved some of the dirt that was a little high from Barbara's grave over to Mama and Daddy's so theirs would be more level too.
Mama and Daddy's foot stone...Daddy's has been chipped for awhile now I think.
They dug a hole and put the bottom part in and then went back to get the top part.
The pieces are very, very heavy but we were still surprised by how long it took to get the two pieces exactly right before they put the putty type material that gets really hard when it dries around the bottom.
I got some really good shots of it up close and the lead guy got the best one that I sent in an email to Barbara's family. They were pleased with how it looks. It was so odd that I received the death certificates my brother-in-law had ordered for me and my sisters to have the day before we went down to have her monument erected.
Barbara's grandson wrote something for her and read it at her Memorial. In it he mentioned how much she loved butterflies and how there were so many flying around the yard the day she died and he wanted us to always think of her when we saw one. Just as they stood back to look at the finished stone this single butterfly (you can barely see it but it is one of the orange and black ones) flew by me several times, landed right behind me, flew around again and
then back into the woods where it came from. I took a few more pictures of the nature around us - different mosses and lichens as well as my old enemy - poison ivy (or oak).
It was when they were finished and I was taking closer pictures that it hit me pretty hard that my oldest sister is gone - we aren't going to have hour long phone conversations anymore.
I wanted to grab those moments back - just one more conversation - but I have to accept that they are gone - just like that little butterfly......I really appreciated BigD going down with me. We rode home the long way and took some little side jaunts around the lake.
I love water - it is one of the things that soothes my spirit.....
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of past events.The funeral home called to let me know when to go down to the country to meet the guys who were going to place my sister's stone at the head of her grave. They call them monuments now but BigD and I were talking about how we used to call them tombstones or gravestones. I guess it's splitting hairs because they all mean the same thing....a grave marker..... 
I was impressed by their attention to every detail in making sure everything was lined up. They moved some of the dirt that was a little high from Barbara's grave over to Mama and Daddy's so theirs would be more level too.
Mama and Daddy's foot stone...Daddy's has been chipped for awhile now I think.
They dug a hole and put the bottom part in and then went back to get the top part.
The pieces are very, very heavy but we were still surprised by how long it took to get the two pieces exactly right before they put the putty type material that gets really hard when it dries around the bottom.
I got some really good shots of it up close and the lead guy got the best one that I sent in an email to Barbara's family. They were pleased with how it looks. It was so odd that I received the death certificates my brother-in-law had ordered for me and my sisters to have the day before we went down to have her monument erected.
Barbara's grandson wrote something for her and read it at her Memorial. In it he mentioned how much she loved butterflies and how there were so many flying around the yard the day she died and he wanted us to always think of her when we saw one. Just as they stood back to look at the finished stone this single butterfly (you can barely see it but it is one of the orange and black ones) flew by me several times, landed right behind me, flew around again and 
then back into the woods where it came from. I took a few more pictures of the nature around us - different mosses and lichens as well as my old enemy - poison ivy (or oak).
It was when they were finished and I was taking closer pictures that it hit me pretty hard that my oldest sister is gone - we aren't going to have hour long phone conversations anymore. 
I wanted to grab those moments back - just one more conversation - but I have to accept that they are gone - just like that little butterfly......I really appreciated BigD going down with me. We rode home the long way and took some little side jaunts around the lake. 
I love water - it is one of the things that soothes my spirit.....
glad it went well and that D went with you.
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