"Shot down in cold blood" we thought the very worn stone said and the exact time of death: 7 AM was listed--which is also unusual. The back of the stone was in another language & though we couldn't positively identify the language, some words were similar enough to english to send us to the cemetery office in search for more information. The folks at Westlawn-Hillcrest were helpful, but the spelling fo the stone matched nothing in their data base. It wasn't until we started tossing names from markers up & down the row from our mystery stone that we made the identification. They confirmed that the person had, in deed, died of a gunshot wound. A trip to the W. Dale Clark Library brought pay dirt as several successive days told a lurid tale of jealousy in a perceived love triangle where the young man & his girl friend had been shot by a 3rd party also interested in the girl. The perpetrator had then shot himself, accoridng to the story, resulting in his immediate death following that of the girl friend. Our young man had lingered a couple more days, during which the paper contributed graphic detail of his suffering to the reader. Not all the stories are as colorful as this one & certainly they don't all hit the newspaper, but all the folks there in the cemetery have a story. Many of the stories will forever remainuntold, but some of the stories are ours, because some of the people in the cemetery are ours. The stories we could tell of those in our families may be lost if we do n't put pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard) and tell what ewe remember of those stones lie silent in the grass. "Budded on earth to bloom in heaven" Was the child whose stone carries this sentiment forgotten by his parents when the stone capped the grave? Probably not. But his parents may well have joined him by now--and if his parents were our parents--or grandparents--can or will we tell their story? A family's history took years to unfold and may take years to write. But if we don't write the stories, there will be none to remeber. They need not be elaborate. And there's always someone who can fix the grammar & spelling if necessary, although not everyone can tell the story. If you won't, who will? (And you may be surprised what other stories come forth once you share the story with relatives.) Greater Omaha Genealogical Society is parent organization for the writers group that meets 4th Saturday mornings at 10:00 at Crossroads food court. You can have brunch, coffee or juice if you like from the various vendors and share your writings with others that come. The important thing is that we start writing about our selves and our families. This month's topic is "Regrets". It could be something we regret doing, or not doing, or someone else in the family has regrets about.