Woodland

For those who do not know, I have a cemetery fetish.  Yeah, I know a lot of people think it's morbid.  It's not like that though.  It does stem in part from an interest in death.  For me, there are a lot of things in life that I have never done, and sometimes when I go to do something for the first time, I get really nervous, simply because it's unknown.  I think about death a lot like that. It's not really a scary thing in and of itself.  The thing that makes it scary is that it's unknown- we've never tried it before, or if we have, we're not around to share with others what it is like. I don't mean to diminish the terrible sadness that can accompany the death of someone who was close to us.  I am not suggesting that it is an easy thing to deal with or think about.  I just think it has a much less scary and actually quite beautiful side.  I have had some deeply personal experiences that confirm that conviction.

I also love how we as humans try to find some way to pay tribute to the life that deceased persons lived by memorializing them in stone.  Many cemeteries contain very unique headstones and monuments.  I am sure a lot of thought went into some of those as the people left behind tried to find some expression of the importance of the person who passed on.  The different symbols and such are really fascinating.  I also like to look at the name and the date on the stone.  There is a person you often know nothing about.  It's fun to try and imagine who they were, what they were like, what they went through, what things happened in the years they were alive- I know I am probably way off the mark most the time when I do that, but it's still fun.

Now when I say I love cemeteries, I am not talking the boring, often newer (but not always) ones that just look like a big green lawn on first sight because nearly all the headstones are set in the ground (good for mowing, I know).  They're alright, but not the stuff of my fetish.

This is the Provo cemetery... boring (like most of Provo, ha ha)

I'm talking cemeteries like this Jewish cemetery somewhere in Europe (that really narrows it down, eh).  Too cool.

So I am happy that we have moved very near the Woodland cemetery.  It is just gorgeous with a large variety of headstones, and also an old house that's been sitting there for a couple hundred years.  I went running there yesterday.  I saw headstones shaped like crosses, groups of siblings and spouses buried together, some very large headstones, angels, people born a long time ago, and so many other things.  I found the grave of a man who died in the Civil War next to his wife who died almost 40 years later.  Love it.  I gotta go running there some more, because there is a lot to explore.  It's pretty big.  In fact, I got a little nervous for a while there that I might not be able to find my way back out.  Anyway, here's a little picture for your enjoyment.  I just got it off the internet.  I'll have to go and take some pictures of my own for a cooler view.  So next time you go cemetery exploring, invite me.