Throughout history, cemeteries have been a place where our loved ones rest, an eternity amongst the green grass and shady trees, surrounded forever by those they loved in life. But cemeteries are so much more than final resting places.
Cemeteries are gathering places. The first cemeteries in the United States were actually parks. Over time, the cemetery side became divided from the side where you’d often see people picnicking and playing games in order to ensure that the integrity of the burial sites would never be compromised. Although we don’t often think of cemeteries as parks anymore, cemeteries remain a place where people can come together. We share grief in cemeteries when we hold burial services to say farewell to someone we love. But we also share cherished memories and, one of the greatest gifts of all, we share time with one another, enjoying the beautiful grounds while we take comfort in one another.
Cemeteries are where the living and the departed connect. Envision all the people who come to a cemetery. A woman comes to sit and spend the afternoon with her mother, reading her favorite book of poetry to her. A young man introduces his parents to his soon-to-be wife, his hand in hers as he shares memories with her of what they were like, letting her picture his father’s jovial grin and his mother’s gentle smile. A couple awaiting the birth of their second child pays a visit to people they’re missing in their family as they prepare to expand their family once more. When we visit cemeteries, we often feel those we are missing the most.
Cemeteries are art museums. Each monument and marker is a sculpture, carefully crafted to tell the unique story of the person buried there. The mausoleums and columbariums are their own works of art, with strong stone and delicate carving and even more stories to find within.
Cemeteries are arboretums and botanical gardens. The cemetery caretaker maintains the grounds, keeping the pathways clear and letting you wander through the natural beauty to be found there. Flowers, a kaleidoscope of color, bloom around the path. Trees, shades of green before becoming reds, oranges, yellows, and browns, provide welcome shade and add to the color of the canvas.
Cemeteries are reminders of the past. Imagine strolling through a cemetery. You walk past a gravestone with a dime atop it, signifying that a veteran is there and another who served with them paid a visit. You continue on, finding a woman who once ran for mayor during a time when women weren’t even allowed to open a bank account. The next stone reads the name of a man who opened the oldest restaurant in town, still run today by his great-great-granddaughter. Every headstone is a journey into the past, telling the story of people who shaped their communities.
Cemeteries are more than just final resting places and are instead a place of possibilities. They’re places of bonds and kinship, where we find support in those still walking this world with us and connection with those we’re missing. They’re places of beauty, both natural and human-made. And they’re places of stories, where we learn about our past, our community, and who we are.