Risking Sentimentality

No offense to the Rejectionist, whom I adore, but sentimentality is, I feel, essential.  Well, I'll qualify that: Risking sentimentality is essential.

Yesterday would have been my dad's birthday.  Had he survived to this day he would be 61.  (Shhh...I didn't say that!)  I'm not overly sentimental, I don't think, but there are occasions which cause me to reflect on the past.  Not every memory is a sunshine or rainbow.  I've hinted once before at a couple of things from my past that aren't all happiness.  My mom and I went to his grave to lay flowers.  Now, we don't lay flowers for Dad.  It's not in our personal beliefs that he's tied to his grave in any way.  Nor do we think that he really cares whether we do this or not.

It's like in the Fox television show Bones when (SPOILER ALERT!  IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW BECAUSE YOU MIGHT WATCH THIS SHOW, SKIP THIS PART!) Booth takes her to her mother's grave.  She completely doesn't understand why she should be visiting the grave.  She knows what's down there, how long it will take for what's in the grave to fade away to dust (all that they ever found of her mother was her skeleton and some decayed pieces of fabric), etc.  Bones is totally not religious, she views all religions as equally inane, etc.  Booth is a fairly devout Catholic.  Sure he's got some conflicts (worked as a sniper with the Army Rangers), but he's far more religious than Bones.  He encouraged her in this scene to talk to her mother.  Her protest was that it wasn't her mother.