We went to Lakeview Cemetery to see the gravesite of my great grandfather Paul James Shepard and his parents Jerome and Teresa Jerome Shepard and Teresa Dempsey Shepard. They have a Shepard monument in Lakeview cemetery in Cleveland, and it's such a beautiful cemetery. I wanted to bring John there before we move. I'm so glad that we could go! It was a gorgeous day! We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was absolutely perfect.
Pres. James Garfield is buried here. This building is his memorial.
John wasn't too keen on pictures... He was tired.
There were a bunch of cool statues. John rock out with this guy name Sergey.
I just really felt connected to my family and my ancestors, and I feel that they are helping me in my life. I want to do the temple work for them and help my children and the rest of my family as well. I'm thankful for the blessings of the gospel that have been restored and the priesthood keys that have been restored to the earth so that the family can sealed and that people can receive power and help and strength in the temple, and I know that the hearts of the fathers are turning to the children and the hearts of the children are turning to the fathers. Mine is, and I want so much to help them.
I feel discouraged sometimes because I don't have the time that I would like to have to to work on my family history or indexing because I'm so busy as a mother of a little toddler, but I am learning that that is part of my family history too, and it's a living family history. Right now I need to give that priority, and I am learning that that’s the best thing I can do. But I have not forgotten about those that have gone before me, and are waiting for the work to be done for them. I am doing what I can, and that is enough. I have to keep my priorities straight, but there will be a time and a season in my life again when that can take more of a forefront spot. My good friend Emily Barker told me in a moment that we were despairing that we can't do more family history work as young mothers because we need to rest so that we will have enough strength to care for these endlessly energetic boys, "Our ancestors aren't going to point at us in Heaven and say, "You took a nap instead of doing family history!" When we meet them in Heaven, we will learn that our ancestors were the angles that were helping our little boys take a nap so that we could all survive these young formative years."
This is not my dad, but he has the same name as my dad.
I wonder who he is.
Paul is my great grandfather (my dad's, dad's dad). John's great great grandfather
And Jerome and Theresa are Paul's parents, so they are my great greats and John's great great great grandparents.
Jerome owned a brick factory in Cleveland. That was unfortunately destroyed in 2009, before I even knew about it :(
The pillar in the background behind the trees is where Rockefeller is buried.
Yep, those people are my family. And there were fresh flowers on one of the graves. I wonder what family I have here in Cleveland that I don't even know about. There have to be many because Jerome and Theresa had 6 or 7 children, and they must have had many children, and so on and so forth, and many of them must have stayed in Cleveland.
When I die, please bury me in a place as beautiful as this so that people will love to come back and visit and think of me. It is such a peaceful and gorgeous place.
I’m very thankful that that I've had the opportunity to live in Cleveland which is so rich in my family history, and I'm thankful that God is blessing to be able to share that with my family. I'm excited to learn more and continue in in that work.
This Memorial Day weekend, we are remembering all our loved ones gone before us. Those who, in their own ways have fought for our freedom and prosperity, especially Seth's papa, his grandpas, and my grandma. We're so glad to know they're watching over us and we will see them again.
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