Mark Katrick faith column: This Flag Day, check your memorial garden, remember those lost
Those of you who are frequent readers of these columns know that my dearly departed parents make occasional appearances. They are also regulars in my dreams. It feels like the great conversations we had in their lifetimes continue in my subconscious, as real and vibrant as ever.
Besides occasional forays into my photo albums and sharing stories with my children about their Grammy and Papa, I’m always searching for ways to make and keep connections with them.
One of these occurs this time of year around Flag Day. With my father and mother being World War II veterans, they were diligent about displaying the American Flag on national holidays.
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In the front yard, at the arc of our circular drive, they erected a flagpole for these kinds of occasions. The times when I raised and lowered the flag were when I felt especially close to them and all the unsung heroes who have served and are serving their country. What made this living memorial extra special was that one of my mom’s many flower gardens encircled it.
Well, this is the year I went and did it. “Did what?” you ask. I started my own memorial garden, as highly recommended in my column of May 24. And I’ve taken these seven steps recommended by Debbie, a member of my church.
Have a place to plant flowers.
Be blessed with some cash to buy plants and supplies.
Get a strong helper to dig and prepare the soil.
Purchase for your location — sunny or shady areas.
Plant and water-in well.
Have your pastor and congregation bless it.
Remember all the wonderful saints who blessed our lives, every time we pass by and smell the flowers.
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Are any of you contemplating doing the same? Or is this a sacred ritual you already perform on an annual basis? My kids do as they decorate the Green Mountains with a rainbow of colors in honor of their grandparents.
My front yard, with its adornments of dahlias, geraniums, impatiens and petunias, have become another avenue of communication with my mother and father in their heavenly home. And I can’t wait to share photos with my family and church family as we remember together.
Mark Katrick is a pastor and spiritual guide.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mark Katrick faith column: This Flag Day, check your memorial garden