Europe Rewind #1 Mom & Me Moment

Throughout that once-in-a-lifetime experience of visiting our old home roots of Great Britain, it was hard to choose the top most meaningful moment.
However, I think it had to be the series of incredibly fortunate events that led to us finding a Scottish grave.
This was a loving pursuit on several levels–her grandparents were more like parents (her grandmother raised her) and had been buried without a marker. Then another person had been buried on top of that grave with a marker. Having only been there once as a young child, she had just found out the name and gravesite and wanted to get closure, as well as get a headstone made for her grandparents.
Before leaving, my mother had retrieved the key information to lead us where we needed to go. However, on the one Scotland morning we had to find the grave, the information paper was gone. We both looked at each other, had a prayer, and in essence said, We’re going on faith, but we’re going.
At first we spent our time finding the wrong cemetery (who knew there were two completely different St. Kentigerns in two completely different places?) But once there, we located a tiny building, maybe the size of a park restroom. As we opened the “front” door, we were greeted with tables and chairs and file cabinets, all stacked in the way so we couldn’t get in.
After waiting we connected with a worker, a kind young man, and shared our situation—we needed information back to 1983. He shook his head and said truly apologetically that their records only went back to 1985. Were we going to miss this whole thing by two paltry years? Saying an internal prayer we asked if he could at least check. He seemed a little doubtful as he told us they were fixing up the building so everything was out of place, but he went in and checked.
Literally not more than five minutes later he comes out with a worn handwritten book with “1983” written on the front. We all sat down on the steps as he turned the pages—all in pencil or cursive ink handwriting—and by page three, there it was. We thanked him profusely and he then added it was a ways onto the property (a huge cemetery) but they were working down that way today and could give us a lift. Once there, we actually found the stone because of mom’s remembering “a big oak tree” nearby—which there was!
The next several moments we spent there, I honestly can’t express. They were so tender, sacred, and emotional. A feeling came to me: this experience, this particular experience, you needed to be here to share with your mother. That ultimately, the whole trip came down to this moment.
As the gentleman returned us to the entrance of the cemetery to wait for a taxi, my mom and I sat on the park-type bench. It was an atypical sunny day—peaceful and quiet—and we were of the same feeling. She turned to me and said, “I have to tell you that I felt like you were supposed to be here today.” We both felt it, knew it, and were emotionally connected by it.
From that moment on, we had beautiful, marvelous, and memorable experiences in Europe. But the tender mercies that led to finding the grave, to sharing those moments with my mother, to connecting three generations of strong Scottish women, was truly the most memorable of all.
Thank you for sharing this journey and these special moments with me. I’m so grateful to my Heavenly Father above and my fabulous family right here for making that incredible experience possible. My hope is for you to enjoy a memorable Mom & Me or family connection this year–desire it, envision it, and just do it.