Memorial Day

Today is Memorial day 2008, and it's RAINING!

The whole Weaver clan usually meets at the graves in Ogden at 11am. Then we all head over to North Park in Roy for a family BBQ. There are more uncles, aunts, moms, dads, neices, nephews, cousins, second cousins than grapes on a vine.

We have done this every year since Jay and I were married.

We would meet at Nanny's grave (jay's grandma) and have a mini family reunion with all of Jay's cousins whom we only see once or twice a year.

We would talk and laugh and share stories and drink the free sodas from the little soda cart that the cemetery provides. All the little cousins would run at our feet and dance and play in the sunshine.

Then we would take a huge family picture.

This year was different.

Since jay's mom passed away last December all of her kids planned to meet at her grave at 10am instead, to give us all time to talk and remember before all the uncles and cousins showed up.

I wondered who would show up in the pouring rain.

Jay insisted we bundle up our 4 kidlettes and tough it out.

I had my doubts about anyone showing up at all .

When we got there the rain poured.

It was not a bright sunny day as in years past. It was cold and wet and miserable.

There were not lines of cars in the road waiting to pull into the cemetery. There was no one waiting in line for a free drink.

There were tons of flowers on all the graves.

Our kids thought it was so cool to see all the beautiful flowers.

As we pulled up to our Mom and

Grandma's grave

there was Grandpa standing all alone in the pouring rain.

Heart breaking to say the least.

We tried our best to put on a brave face and join him.

As soon as we walked over it became an

out and out down pour.

We ran for the safety of our suburban.

Slowly, one by one more of our family members showed up.

We piled out of the suburban into the rain again.

Most of her kids came anyway, even in the rain. We had the biggest group of umbrellas in the whole cemetery.

Only one of the uncles and 2 of the cousins showed up. And honestly, if Mom had not passed away I don't know if I would have shown up either.

Instead of our BBQ at the park in the rain we opted for a local Chinese restaurant.The food was good and the entertainment was excellent. This was a Chinese restaurant we go to quite frequently as a whole big family. Jay's parents had 6 kids plus all the spouses and 20 something grandkids.

We make quite the group.

They put us down stairs in the restaurant in a room all our own so as not to bother all the other patrons, I'm sure.

The owner knows our faces and is a cute little Chinese man named Jonathan.

He came to talk to us and ended up playing the leaf for us.

Yes, an actual leaf.

He played Oh Suzanna.

He also played a Chinese instrument that has stings across it and two little hand held knockers. His hands got going so fast across those strings.

All the kids were silent.

So I guess today was a little like life.

Totally unpredictable.

Sometimes it rains when you expect sunshine. But in the end it's good to know we can count on our family.

We love you all.