Yesterday I took Ralphy on his usual walk. We like to go around the neighborhood, and occasionally we go along the cemetery fence. This day we decided to take the cemetery route. For me and Ralphy this is our time to just relax and get some exercise and fresh air. I noticed an older gentleman getting out of his car inside the cemetery property and then slowly get out. He was very old, probably over 80, had a pair of baggy jeans that were too long for him (so they were cuffed), a light blue long sleeve shirt, and walked in some old looking high top black shoes. Ralphy usually doesn't pay attention to people in the cemetery, because he instinctively knows the fence is a barrier which takes away any threat to him. But this time he just stopped and kept staring as this old man slowly (very slowly) walked on the stone and dirt road toward a hill. It was a wondrous early evening...the air was cool but not cold, the sun was still up but was starting to say goodbye for the day, the trees all around were starting to change colors as they should in October, and I was with my friend Ralphy. Who could ask for a more perfect evening. It was obvious the man came to visit a loved one and so I tried not to stare and give the man his privacy. I tugged at Ralphy's leash and urged him to move on. Ralphy would walk a few feet, then he would stop and turn around to stare at the man who was still heading toward the hill. Ralphy started to whimper in a quiet soft voice. I bent over and petted him and asked him if he was OK. No, Ralphy didn't answer, but I could sense his persistence, ( when it came to watching this man ) was out of character for him. Why was he acting like that? Well, he kept at this for several minutes. Ralphy would start walking, then stop, turn around and stare. By now the old man with the brightest of white hair, was treading up the hill at an even slower pace, but he kept going onward. Ralphy continued his behavior and my curiosity concerning the man began to grow. I decided to just stop in my tracks and watch the man, hoping he wouldn't turn around and see me "spying" on him. All of a sudden I realized everything seemed so quiet. On one side of me was a relatively busy road, people coming home from work, the sound of cars whooshing by, planes flying in to the airport, horns honking, and me and Ralphy in between the fence of the cemetery and road (about 15 feet or so wide), and of course on the other side of the fence the quiet of the "graveyard"...soft grass, tall trees and hundreds of grave stones marking the places of rest for many since 1893. So in spite of the noise of traffic, my brain settled into a quiet mode and I continued to watch the man who was now at the top of the hill, staring down at a relatively large head stone. I forgot to mention the man wore an old baseball style hat with no markings, and it was really too small, because his white hair could be seen on the back and sides. I remember my grandfather who has been gone now for sometime, used to have a similar type hat. The man brought back memories of my grandpa. Anyway I mentioned the hat for that reason, but also because when he was standing by this particular head stone, the man had his hat off obviously showing respect to whom he was visiting. Ralphy was now resting down on the grass peacefully, close to the fence and still intently watching the man. I sensed the man was lonely and longing for his companion of many years, or that is what I imagined. I could hear him talking though I couldn't tell what he was saying and when he was talking he leaned onto the grave stone with both of his hands softly grabbing the top of the silver white granite monument. In life, we all want people to remember us, and all the things about who we were and what kind of person we became. If we don't like visiting the cemetery then maybe we should occasionally sit down and remember someone in our life that has passed away...and by remembering them, they will not be forgotten. Who knows what Raphy was thinking...after all I always tell people that Ralphy really isn't a dog, and if that is the case, maybe he was just paying respects. Maybe he sensed the hurt and loneliness in the old man. Maybe he just wanted to rest on the grass. I will never know, but I prefer that Ralphy senses a lot of feelings that we as humans think dogs incapable of. I do know that he taught me a valuable lesson of showing the respect and admiration of those that have gone before us. The sun was just about hidden from sight, the man slowly headed down the hill, and Ralphy stood up, looked at me and telling me it was time to go. We headed for home...it was a memorable day.
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