Traditions

When I was growing up here, in my home town, every once in a while we would come across a funeral procession heading to one of the cemetery's here. First you would see the lead police car or motorcycle, then would come the train of cars. Cars in the opposite lanes would stop. Right where they were. Not a single car would move, until the last car in the procession past.

I asked my daddy once why we stopped. He said it was to show respect for the departed, and the family for their loss, and it was tradition. To me this made perfect sense. Tradition just like the Christmas tree not going up until the 17 of December, and not wearing white before Easter or after Labor Day, or having Sunday Dinner at 2 in the afternoon.

As time went by, the city grew and more people came and settled here from other parts of the country. The stopping for funeral processions seemed to have been set to the wayside. I cried a silent tear for another lost "tradition" and a bit of the southern lifestyle.

Today on my way to lunch, however, I saw cars stopping in there tracks. I quickly followed suit, not sure what lay ahead. Then over the top of a hill came the first police Motorcycle, lights flashing and he pulled to a stop next to my car. Cars on both sides stopped in perfect precision, and along came the procession. I looked in to the other cars, some people were frustrated, others seemed puzzled as to why we stopped. In one car a saw a child point and speak to it's parent. I knew what the question was and the answer. I cried another silent tear, for a tradition and a piece of southern lifestyle that might not be gone. And in this day and age of hurry, hurry and disconnection..maybe it's a tradition that needs to stay a little longer.

So if you are ever in my neck of the woods and you see cars suddenly stopping, you'll know why.