Photo by Kim McKinney

We’re Just Passing Through

June Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Rock”

What stories lie beneath the stone?

I love a graveyard. I’m always drawn to them. I didn’t get to go into this one, but couldn’t resist snapping a shot. I like to remember.

Usually, I can’t resist a tramp through to see the names and the dates on either side of the dash. I am fascinated by the titles, the words, the quotes, the poetry — those things chosen to commemorate a life.

I also think about their stories. Did they tell them?

I’m someone who likes to tell my stories. Often I tell them by pictures. My friends say that when I travel, I take them with me — usually, there's a daily record on Facebook. I started doing that years ago to organize and save my pictures. They come in handy. I wish I had been doing this longer so I could reminisce about things I had forgotten.

My dad died in 2016. We found out my mom had Alzheimer’s soon after. I’ve since realized they didn’t share many of their stories.

My mom’s sister has shared many family stories with me that I never knew. Many would have been important to know, others explain who my mom became, still others are “so mom” and make me smile.