I have a fascination, some people might say a strange fascination, with cemeteries. I could spend hours walking through the headstones and thinking about the people buried beneath them. Although I find it difficult to walk among the rows of stones simply because I am walking on someone beneath the ground. It is strange to love cemeteries, but feel guilty for "walking on the dead".
I find it incredible how people choose to be remembered, or how people choose to have their loved ones remembered, for all eternity. For example, on the headstone of a loving husband and wife are hands shaking with one another...doesn't seem the thing for a married couple.
The older headstones are often the most beautiful, with carvings and statues. I don't think people care less now than they did in the earlier years, I just think something as elaborate as a statue on a headstone would be cost prohibitive. Maybe people would think it was too "showy" or "over the top". I personally love them.
Sometimes I see a headstone that just takes my breath away...like when I see one with my child's name on it...
.And sometimes they take my breath away just because of the abuse and neglect that have overcome them through the years. I am sure this is an old, old grave and perhaps no family member is around anymore to care for it, but in a few years the head will fall off this statue and I am guessing no one will ever repair it. That is sad
I know what I want my headstone to look like and I know where I want my remains to be buried. After looking at so many cemeteries and so many headstones it is hard to think of this kind of thing with morbidity, but more with fascination and planning for the future. Someday there may be someone else who finds joy in strolling through cemeteries and I hope they maybe stumble upon my headstone and it makes them smile and want to take a photo. I want my headstone to tell a stranger of my life, short and too the point, but the important details spelled out for all to see. After all, a headstone is the final tangible thing you leave behind. Memories fade and are recalled differently as time passes. Pictures tell of happy times and family gatherings and vacations, new babies and weddings. But a headstone tells most of all...the years you lived your life, who you chose to love for a lifetime, perhaps the children of that love. Headstones compel loved ones to bring you flowers at least once a year, to leave little momentos of special meaning. Headstones are a link to the past, even if it is a past of a complete stranger. I want to be the one that people talk about and take pictures of. I want to be the one that fascinates someone, just because my headstone is like me...unique.
January 10, 2012
January 11, 2012 at 11:30 AM
i love walking through cemeteries just looking at the different headstones. The really old ones amaze me sometimes.