Who doesn't love a cemetery?
On my way up to visit my mother yesterday at her assisted living center (let's just call the place "Antique Village"), I stopped off at one of our local churches here in Calvert County, Maryland, to snap a few pictures. When Mom asked me why I was late, I told her that I got held up shopping for a grave site for her. Don't worry, she has a great sense of humor, despite the dementia. She turns 85 next week.
Anyway, Mom already has final resting digs. (Ha ha ha. Digs. Get it?) She'll be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, when the time comes, along with my Dad.
The local cemetery surrounds this quaint little chapel. Don't you just love the little red door?And the windows! To die for! I think I was inside a long time ago. I believe it was very plain--bare, even, because, you see, it's . . . an Episcopal church.
Me, I come from a Catholic tradition, and we're always rather taken aback by the lack of sumptuous decoration in many of the other denominations' houses of worship--even if we haven't set foot in our own churches in a very, very, very long time.
Still, I would like to be buried in a cemetery next to a little church like this. But then I'd have to join a church, I suppose. It's like when I was looking at assisted living places for Mom. I called a couple which were part of larger, continuing care retirement communities. They wouldn't accept a person for assisted living who had not already paid their dues by purchasing an independent living share in the operation.
I actually visited two cemeteries yesterday, the second by sheer happenstance. Mom and I have a pretty set routine during our weekly visits. We pick up and sort through her mail, have lunch at a restaurant, run errands, and maybe visit the hairdresser. And, we almost always take a drive. Mom is from farm country up in the Canadian Maritimes, so she really enjoys getting out in the nearby countryside. We stumbled upon this place. I've never been to a cemetery which was in deep woods before. It was a gloomy, dark place, damp and quiet, way off the beaten path and very neglected. Even the sign.

It didn't look as though the graves had seen any visitors for many years. I saw some very degraded artificial poinsettias decorating a cluster of headstones. Many of the other markers were damaged: cracked, leaning or fallen over entirely. Lots of trees had fallen or were leaning precariously on the others.
Hidden from the public eye, dark, damp and decaying, I found the place compelling.
Peaceful and quiet, and sad.
Who doesn't love a cemetery?
Recent Comments