Cemeteries. Yes. I LOVE them.
You may hear me refer to people gardens. This would be a cemetery. Doesn’t that sound less scary? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m not sure where I picked that up but I stuck with me.
I fawn over the way that people choose to tell the story of the ones who have crossed over on a small slab of stone or even wood. A name, a date of birth, a dash and a date of death. How do you fill in all that is the dash with just a handful of words and maybe a symbol?
I wondered what all the symbols meant or if they were just pretty. In some of my travels I meet some pretty awesome people. One of them is Tui Snider, @tuisnider. She is an expert on cemetery symbols. She is as fun and quirky as her name. You should check her out if symbols interest you.
I love to stop at the old cemeteries. Sometimes it is quiet and peaceful. Others it is loud and overwhelming.
I once lost an hour standing in what I thought was just a field at the back of a cemetery. It was so loud and so many wanted to be heard. I was confused why there were so many without a name. They felt forgotten in someway. I listened to as many as I could. As I was leaving the field, I came across a small monument that said “Dedicated to the Unknown Dead”. It made sense. I do want to go back and do a little research on the area.
Day or night, you might find me hanging out in a cemetery, talking to those who want to talk. Sometimes, they are even the living. I wish that it was still acceptable to picnic in them. Honoring your loved ones who have passed on by spending time with the living, having a meal, talking about things you think your loved ones would be interested in hearing. What a way to spend an afternoon.
Why do people fear cemeteries at night? Are they afraid of those who have passed on or are they afraid of what will happen when they pass over themselves?
What are your thoughts? How do you feel about cemeteries?