Sunday, June 04, 2017

~ A Sunday Mourning in June ~


Took a walk this morning
~ before it got too hot.


found myself at our little graveyard
that holds the plots
of the former inhabitants of our farmhouse and land... 


under the canopy of an ancient holly tree they rest
~ peaceful and serene ~


if you have visited our home or farm shop, then you have passed right by them.
they are located just off our long dirt road that leads to & from our old homeplace...
in fact, 
you can stand by the graves 
and look through the trees 
and see the farm shop in view 
~ across'd the big field.


there aren't many headstones, just a few.
and two metal markers which show a more contemporary style of burial.

I prefer stone.


this time of year
the yucca are blooming.
~ folklore here says that these 'ghost lilies' are always near a grave
...hence their nickname.


there are more buried here than we know, though...
some are in unmarked graves,
others in graves with head and footstones 
but without names or dates etched upon them ~
seemingly lost in time and to memory.

and one in particular bears a beautiful dove.
that one belongs to Judith ~
"the sunshine of our home"
as it tells on her stone.


I have taken her advice 
and am punching a project in memorium of this woman I never knew
~ but who shares our land and home with us still.

life exists even where death is very present.
green and growing from the ground up.
a cycle that never ends it seems ~ 

I love our little graveyard.
& I say hello and goodbye to these neighbors 
... each time I come & go 
from this old farm. 


here is our Asiatic lily in bloom ~
another flower which represents life eternal ~
this one is near our front door garden.


 I love headstones, graveyards and such.
walking among them, reading them,....feeling the coldness of the stones.

 If these were the Victorian times, 
we would all be immersed in thoughts of death 
and practicing strange customs
in which we would honor our departed loved-ones.

we would be making wreaths and wearing jewelry fashioned from the locks of their hair...
or wearing black clothing for a full year.
and having our photographs taken 
with us facing away from the camera or holding a handkerchief to cover our eyes.

We might even choose to commemorate the dead by having their photo taken as well.

...and you think we live in strange times?

Blessings from the Farm
 ~ Lori

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a beautiful post, Lori. While many may think it is morbid business to contemplate death, I believe that it is important to do so...we are but temporary custodians of this earth and, rich or poor, we all return to the earth. Sometimes I think our culture has become so pleasure-oriented that we forget that sadness and loss are necessary and humbling and actually can be bitterly beautiful in their own ways. But I ramble...
Have a beautiful Sunday...I'll be stitching away on Imagination's tombstone!

JoanneS said...

Just just so peaceful!
I just love your posts !!!
I hope I get a chance to visit your farm and shop one day 😊

marly said...

A great idea and such a beautiful dove. There is a local cemetery here that is amazing. Unusual shaped headstones, massive monuments, stone chapel, many stories of those resting there. The majority were the very wealthy in this small area. Such a beautifully landscaped acreage. Lena Miller, a gypsy queen and daughter of the gypsy king of America, died here in 1921 and 5000 attended the burial.

Anonymous said...

Were those strange times?.............. "NOTHING'S EITHER GOOD OR BAD BUT THINKING MAKES IT SO" -Shakespeare. Your beautiful post made me wax poetic.

Sandra in Texas

Unknown said...

Beautiful post on life and death. I own a mourning brooch that belonged to my great grandmother. I can't imagine walking around with a deceased husband's picture pinned to my blouse but that was the custom. I guess it's more to my taste than the Victorian custom of wearing jewelry made from the deceased's hair. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

My Colonial Home said...

How very interesting Lori - I really enjoyed reading your post!
Blessings
Karen

Mugwump Woolies said...

Lovely post. I'm not fond of Victorian mourning jewelry made from hair. I guess because it belonged to someone I never knew. My sister and I were with my mother when she died. We had been keeping vigil for several days and I had my hooking with me to keep me calm. Shortly after my mother passed I picked up my hooking scissors and clipped a lock of her beautiful, thick, white hair. It comforts me still. We all mourn in our own way.
Robyn

Kathy B said...

Wonderful peek in your neck of the woods. Thank you for sharing.

elaine allerton said...

Lori,,, love ur walks!! Just a beautiful spot!! So very pretty!! Love seeing the gravestones, too,,, hoping u have a good day!!
Thanks for sharing,,,,

Susan said...

Such a beautiful graveyard! Have you read the blog A Grave Interest. She too has a caring and loving attitude towards cemeteries (as do I).

Running with a sharp pencil said...

I love this post. We have a cemetery in southern AR (Washington, AR) which was the capital during the Confederacy. There is an enormous, famous tree just before you enter this cemetery. Walking among the graves you will see family names where they lost many children from infancy to teens--it is so sad. The stones are works of art. I love that dove on Judith's stone. Such a wonderful epitaph that she was the sunshine of her home. Not so sure that could be said of me.....Makes one think. I always wonder about the people's lives in these old cemeteries--sad to think of those in unmarked graves. Hopefully, their names are known in Eternity and recorded in the book of Life.

Barbara Melotto said...

I found two headstones in my fireplace many years ago. One is propped up against the fireplace in the living room and the other in the yard. It seems special in some way.

Anonymous said...

Love your pics and all your words- as usual. Love,Louise D