This weekend was Memorial Weekend, and my family spent it as
we spend many weekends, not just holidays, walking through graveyards. Here in the south the holiday is still called
Decoration Day because it common for an entire family to load up a picnic and
visit the local graveyard where their deceased loved ones are interred. It is a big deal for families to decorate the
graves with fresh colorful flowers. 
Haunting graveyards is a well-trampled pastime for my
family. We are all big history buffs and
although we are not so very close now, we all maintain a strong connection to
generations long gone, the story of how each of us came to be a part of the same
family tree. Yet, this strange hobby
extends past the graves of family members we have never met. It is not unusual for us to seek out and
visit old cemeteries with interesting and beautiful carved headstones. An older grave site is usually peaceful and
calm, making it a nice place to visit to get away from the chaos of the world.
So, I wonder, does anyone else love reading old tombstones
or exploring old crypts, mausoleums or vaults?
Or, is this simply one of those weird things passed down in a genealogy
obsessed family?
I like this particular writing about cemeteries that you have blogged about here, very much, Victoria. Yes, yes, I have spent an unusual amount of time walking about, reading, imagining, and wondering/wandering in graveyards located from here to there iall over the South. Some of these places actually contained the sacred remains of persons I actually knew..but mostly not.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to pinpoint what it is that draws me, or members of my family to these final resting grounds. For me, this is not a strange hobby, it is just "what we do". Noting history, strange stories, unusual markers or headstones, it is a very calming place to visit and remember those who came before us. This chaotic world doesn't easily lend itself to remembrance or admiration for days long ago. At the very least, it should trigger in each of us the question, will anyone remember me? Days walking around are numbered, even if one believes in reincarnation, and the infinity that is eternity looms on the horizon. As for me, a person who feeds on the serenity and sanctuary that abides near the ivy-covered tombstones of the dead, I plan on being cremated. If you wish to learn more about more now-forgotten history regarding Decoration Day in the South, or find out about the "other decoration day" Tennessee celebrates for its "Confederate soldiers only", dig this link....
http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
Memorial Day...means more than firing up the grill with your family on a long 3-day weekend..it was intended to honor the fighting soldiers now dead, those who fought in service for the good old U.S.of A...(or C.S.A...depending on your POV...)
Remembering the past is so very important. It's easy to forget that in our fast-paced, multi-tasking society. People want more, more, more...but, everyone forgets how they got in the position to be able to acquire the "more" they were reaching for.
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