Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Willie Mc Cord was a private from Arkansas who fought for the North in the Civil War. Somehow, when the war was over, he ended up in Michigan. Maybe he met someone and fell in love; perhaps he wanted a more northern climate; or possibly work led him here.

Regardless, when he died in 1917, Willie was buried in Crystal Springs Cemetery in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Fast forward to the year 2004, Memorial Day. I doubt any of Willie’s descendants still visit his grave at Crystal Springs. Even worse, perhaps he is not remembered any more anywhere. Except that Earl and I chose to remember him this Memorial Day.

Why? The reason is simple. Memorial Day was originally created to remember fallen comrades from those wars that enabled us to maintain our democratic freedom. And, about eight years ago, Earl and I decided to create a new tradition (if there ever was such an oxymoron) of visiting cemeteries and spending a few moments at the grave of some soldier who had served his (or her) country well.

Today, families are far flung, with parents, children, siblings, cousins, etc. living in different parts of the United States. The tradition of visiting graves on Memorial Day causes great expense and time, if family members take it seriously and gather at the local cemetery.

But why couldn’t others, like Earl and me, represent such families by visiting graves of those who served in the armed forces and spending a few minutes thinking about their lives, as unknowable as they may be?

Willie Mc Cord, I wlll never know more about you than what is on your tombstone, but you enhanced my life with the brief description of your own. I hope you had joy more than sorrow, laughter more than tears, success more than failure. But if not, know that one person in the twenty-first century still stopped by your grave to say ‘Hello.’ And thanks.