Memorial Day

This is a photo of the Sanders family circa 1964. I’m in the front row. On the left in the front are my cousins Lou Ann and Donna, then my sister, Pat, me, and my “twin” cousin, Linda. My mom is standing behind Donna (with a stunning faux fur collar I’d like to point out). My dad is in the back row on the far left and between Mom and Dad stands Grandpa Sanders. Lou Walter Sanders (my middle name—Lou—comes from Grandpa), was a veteran of World War I, a shoe cobbler, a sharecropper farmer, and the father of six children—all represented with their families in this photo.

Only four adults in this photo are still living—Uncle Richard, Aunt Becky, Uncle Lars, and Aunt Sylvia. All of the cousins, except my brother, Butch, (far right with the dark, framed glasses) are still living. No doubt your family, like mine, has war veterans whom we honor on this Memorial Day. And no doubt, your family, like mine, has lost precious loved ones whom we also pause to remember and celebrate today.