Burying Gardens

Had another great time volunteering with Forever Fed tonight.  This was serving prepackaged sandwiches to groups of children who have been bused to a small church to be fed the from our Father and from Forever Fed. The children and the volunteers are all a pleasure to interact with.  We found, as we did last week, that we weren't as "needed" as "we" needed to be there.  To see His face, to be His hands, to feel love is something that can't be imagined.  I love to hear people's stories, and luckily, I had Susan to share with me the story of the bible club, the participants, the different volunteers., etc.  I enjoyed my time, and although there wasn't much for the migits to do tonight, they still got to help, and feel like they were serving a greater good.  There is a need to help out preparing meals the week of June 26th, and we can not volunteer because the kids have swim practice and it if for a short time each morning that week.  If you can help, please contact Forever Fed on Facebook or foreverfed.org and use their sign up genius to let them know how many might be coming.  I have been in touch with Facebook to make sure it is a kid-friendly event, and each time, Susan is quick to respond, and so far, EVERYTHING is kid-friends, other than most food prepping.  That is for age 16+ and that week of June 26th I think they are going to work it out so that younger children can come and help due to the simplicity of the meals that week.  Tell them Erin sent ya'!  

Well, on our way to the Forever Fed event, conversation went a little weird, and I can not even for the life of me tell you how a simple comment goes in the directions it does, but here we go.  (It appears only the car ride conversations are meaningful, therefore, I might turn the music off more often.)  So, we were about 5 minutes from home, and about to pass the entrance to my brother's neighborhood.  This particular entrance has a church near it, and a large garden.  We love to garden at home.  The children help plant the seeds for veggies each spring, then help plant the peat pots, water, and pick the veggies every few days.  I As we were driving past, I noticed that the church, or maybe the home in front of the church, has an amazing garden.  I commented, for the children to see how another food garden looks.  Shay said, maybe is a burying garden.  I was too involved in my head and kinda' not paying much attention, but then asked, "A what?"  Shay repeated, "A burying garden.  You know, where they bury bodies, and flowers grow over them."  So I put it together, and said, "You mean a cemetery?"  Yes, that is what she meant.  And then the whole burial conversation began.  Not so great, as Charlie has been talking about dying for a few weeks now.  (He is seeing a psychiatrist, have no fear.)  But, I didn't want to totally shy away from it, but the depth to which Shay led me on was getting uncomfortable.  I was hoping we could try the sex talk again, as her line of questioning was giving me the willies.  I wasn't sure how to work sex into it, without it being talk of dead people and sex and a fetish, and thought it might not really be wise to begin fetish talk until we got the basics down.  You agree?  Good.  

Shay- "The dead people get buried and flowers come out of the ground."

Me- (attempting to gloss over this, and just sort of bob my head) "Not really, but it's something like that."

Shay- "How do you know what sort of flowers you make when you die?"

Me- "Your body doesn't make flowers.  People, goys in particular, come to visit your body when your soul goes to heaven, and they leave flowers.  Not for you really.  But for other people.  I guess.  I don't really get the fake flower thing myself.  Jews leave a rock.  Still, not making a lot of sense, but they do that."  

Shay-"Do they throw the rock?" (If rock skipping became the norm, I might consider going.  I love to skip rocks.)

Me- "I don't know, I have never visited a cemetery.  I don't throw rocks, nor do I leave fake flowers for anyone.  I think the whole thing is silly, as I just talk to my dead relatives as I believe they are spirits that are all around us, and would not really appreciate a rock or some fake flowers.  I try my best to eat chocolate a lot, as I know they all enjoyed chocolate, and I have taken it upon myself to eat enough chocolate for everyone that has passed on that I love."  

Now, you know where this is going, right???

Shay-"Can I eat some chocolate for someone too?"  

Lord love her.  She is such a loving child to take the time to eat chocolate on behalf of people she never met.  What a gift to us all.  The world is a better place for having her young, chocolate loving spirit in it.  

PS  I don't think the garden we passed was a "Burying Garden."  Pretty sure it was a vegetable garden. However, the tiny church we were feeding people at this past w/end with Forever Fed, had a few headstones right next to the parking lot as you turned in.  I didn't notice until I was helping to clean the pans out "camping" style with a soap bucket, a rinse bin, and occasionally, had to throw the dirty water out.  I noticed I had just dumped one out on top of the headstone.  Hope they like wet salad.  That's all I had to offer them.