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Though the family may be long gone, though nobody may visit, what Andrew Lumish does in his free time still matters. It matters because it's a righteous and decent thing to do. Andrew, who owns his own cleaning company and has a hobby for photography spends much of his free time cleaning up the headstones of veterans.Time plays the master to all things and it corrodes, and damages all things. Even the once pristine marble becomes dirty and mold grows upon the face of the headstone. Andrew Lumish noticed this. And it moved him. Like all great Americans when they see something, they don't merely vocalize the problem, they set themselves to action. But this was no fevered, blind rush to action. Rather there was a period of intense study before he allowed himself to start this humbling task.Water, soft bristle brushes, a toothbrush, and cotton swabs. Those are his tools as he sets his hands to the task. The work is extremely detailed and takes a great deal of time. Time that Andrew uses to learn about the people whose headstone he's restoring. While they may just be pieces of marble or bronze, inanimate objects representing a life, long departed from this world, they were men and women with a story. They had goals, dreams, family. They were happy, sad, and afraid like all of us.[caption id="attachment_18112" align="aligncenter" width="746"]
Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Times[/caption]Andrew Lumish cleans them with care, learns about each one of them with scholarly dedication. All of this, despite not serving in the military. He didn't have a connection to these people before, but now he does. His work is honorable and we are grateful that men like Andrew Lumish still live in this world. Doing what is right merely because it is the right thing to do.His work truly is humbling and meaningful.Read more stories of American Grit:
