My family and I love cemeteries. Nothing weird, nothing creepy. Here in Lowell, we have a beautiful cemetery right down the street from our house and we've brought our daughter here for walks since she was a newborn. Not unlike the feeling you get when walking in Central Park ( during the day!) , our local cemetery offers a haven of silence and peacefulness ( well, of course) that you just can't find easily anymore. The giant gates to the cemetery are impressive, reminding us that this is an important architectural and historical place as well as a beautiful one. Passing through these gates is, well, like entering another world, a world of beauty and stillness.
But stop and listen, and you'll see that it is not still at all. This cemetery was designed as a place of beauty for those resting there, and there are a multitude of trees, birds, and animals that live there still. Nature lives all around, from beautiful warblers in the springtime, to the pair of nesting red-tailed hawks, to the crabapples falling from the trees, to the croaking of the frogs in puddles after a heavy rain.
My daughter and I have grown together in the cemetery, at first strolling while mommy got her exercise. Then, she was learning to walk on roads that are rarely driven, providing us with a quiet road to walk on together, picking up rocks, sticks, flowers, and pinecones along the way. Then, hide and seek among the tombstones and trees, and pointing out different letters and shapes. We've talked about angels, mausoleums ( big word for a 5 year old!),famous people and soldiers who have fought in wars. We have seen seasons come and go, each one offering a beautiful sight. We've talked about death often, and our surroundings have mirrored our talks, that death is a season, just like Winter. Spring will come again.
Our family walks in the cemetery every Sunday evening. It is a ritual for us and I look forward to it. This beautiful place has become our friend, a place where we can walk amongst tombs with no fear- in fact, with respect, joy, and the promise that Spring will come again. For the trees, the grass, the flowers, and someday, for us, too.
But stop and listen, and you'll see that it is not still at all. This cemetery was designed as a place of beauty for those resting there, and there are a multitude of trees, birds, and animals that live there still. Nature lives all around, from beautiful warblers in the springtime, to the pair of nesting red-tailed hawks, to the crabapples falling from the trees, to the croaking of the frogs in puddles after a heavy rain.
My daughter and I have grown together in the cemetery, at first strolling while mommy got her exercise. Then, she was learning to walk on roads that are rarely driven, providing us with a quiet road to walk on together, picking up rocks, sticks, flowers, and pinecones along the way. Then, hide and seek among the tombstones and trees, and pointing out different letters and shapes. We've talked about angels, mausoleums ( big word for a 5 year old!),famous people and soldiers who have fought in wars. We have seen seasons come and go, each one offering a beautiful sight. We've talked about death often, and our surroundings have mirrored our talks, that death is a season, just like Winter. Spring will come again.
Our family walks in the cemetery every Sunday evening. It is a ritual for us and I look forward to it. This beautiful place has become our friend, a place where we can walk amongst tombs with no fear- in fact, with respect, joy, and the promise that Spring will come again. For the trees, the grass, the flowers, and someday, for us, too.
