I was born in a small town
And I can breathe in a small town
Gonna die in this small town
That's probably where they'll bury me
Small Town by John Mellencamp
Maple Hill, KS
We have been all over small town Kansas this week, trekking from the Northeast to the Southwest corners of the state. Several of my siblings met at the grave site of our brother in a remote part of the state--a place too few of us have visited in the twenty-five years since we lost him. That gathering served as a wonderful reminder of the importance of family, the gift of sibling love, and the kind of small town town that shaped us in our formative years. Rather than attempt to put into words all that I am feeling thankful for, I will let these Kansas images speak for me.
Maple Hill, KS
Ulysses, KS
Ulysses, KS
Maple Hill, KS
Burdett, KS
Ellinwood, KS
Ellsworth, KS
Ellinwood, KS
Ellinwood, KS
These photographs were wonderful, May, taking me back to the sweet memories of my own youth in a small town very much like this. I love to visit cemeteries, especially old ones, and we often do this when we travel. There is so much more I want to know about the lives of the people now interred there. It is really nice that your family gathered at your brother's gravesite for remembrance, I know he was with you that day, feeling the outpouring of love and memories shared. You are right that we don't get together as families often enough, I very rarely see my sisters, and we talk of remedying that as we all get older and someday won't have the chance. I am thankful for the daily connections we keep through texting, phone, and Facebook.
ReplyDeleteIs the little church in your photo still in use? I love country churches and so many are finding it difficult to keep their doors open as populations shrink. The one where I was baptized and my father before me, is still going strong. Cemeteries are such peaceful places. I had forgotten what wonderful period architecture can be found in small towns, you started me thinking about some of the buildings I remember, and the night our beautiful old courthouse burned down. I lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico for several years when my children were small, Clyde Tombaugh was a professor there. I didn't know he was a Midwest boy from Kansas. This was a beautiful TToT post, thank you for sharing! XO
I believe it is affiliated with a newer church in the little town. Special services are held in the stone church a couple times a year. You can see it the windows and tell it is spic and span.
DeleteIt's a life I've never known and the roots and "home" of it are so lovely. I often long for that. But too late into my life to experience it. What a lovely, life and family affirming voyage you've been making across your lovely home state. Kansas is fortunate to have such a daughter.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barb!
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ReplyDeleteI am sorry you lost your brother so young.
ReplyDeleteIt is one of life's challenges that will never make sense to me.
DeleteLove that quote. That song's a classic and it made me think of where I grew up, still am, because who I am is here.
ReplyDeleteI am glad your family could all get together and remember your dear departed brother. Family can be challenging, but when a member is gone, they are gone forever. Best to make memories and remember that siblings are those we grew up with, those who knew us from the start.
Lovely post. I can see why, at a certain point, you'd choose to give up the search for the right words and share photos instead.