My husband and I had the day off so we decided to drive into the city and visit the grave of my great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother. She was the last Irish immigrant on my father's side, so I was pretty amazed to find out that she spent her final days in the North Country. My grandfather, who practices genealogy, really wanted me to visit her grave (not that he had to convince me - I was excited to visit and pay my respects). When he first found it ages ago, he put up a stink because it was in a neglected, old cemetery that had become overgrown. The way he spoke, I excepted that Weretoad and I would have some weeding to do. When we arrived we were delighted to see that the city has been taking care of the site. It's been mowed and fenced off. My ancestor's resting place is shaded by a large tree with dark berries. I've been trying to identify it from photos but I think I'll have to visit again to confirm...
I got the feeling that my ancestor was definitely at peace. There was no negativity about the area at all. Several animals (mostly chipmunks) had happily claimed the land as their own. One even had a den under another grave stone. Touching my ancestor's name and gravestone was interesting for me. My blood came from this woman and she ties me to Ireland. I thanked her for inviting me to visit and invited her to visit me in dreams or visions should she ever want to talk. I left her a small pumpkin gourd as a gift. I promised to return. The area is so easy to reach - I hope to bring the rest of the family there someday soon.
Do you have a day off? Take a moment to visit your ancestors. Bring them a gift. Talk to them. You don't have to perform an intricate ritual to connect with the spirits of the past. Some might call my adventure positively mundane. Me? I thought it was magical. :)
( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )
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