Angel of Grief

THIS MONUMENT
THE LAST WORK OF W W STORY
EXECUTED IN MEMORY OF HIS BELOVED WIFE
William Wetmore Story

Hello by Evanescence

Notre Dame Cemetery

I drove by this cemetery as few days ago and I couldn’t believe how creepy the trees looked from the road. When I got home, I looked it up on Google maps and was intrigued by the overhead view.

I went back with my camera to check out these weird looking trees.

As I drove around I noticed this tall monument among the only headstones that weren't in perfect rows. As it turns out this is the center of the circular part of the cemetery.

I like these photoshopped photos better.

Forestdale Cemetery

Penrapture and I decided to take a break from all that sewing on Friday night to visit the Forestdale Cemetery. She did a thought provoking blog about life and death and the meaning of such things. Walking around a cemetery certainly should make you think of your own mortality and your place on this earth.

I however, was distracted from all that by the trees. The glorious, magnificent, wondrous trees of Forestdale Cemetery. This cemetery was organized in 1880 and dedicated in 1882 so it has some nice old trees in it. The big oaks, maples and beech trees are beautiful. When I stand next to them I am in awe of their size and glory. Trees represent knowledge, power and grace. And yes, they are a link to the Heavens and the Earth.

Ok, I'm a tree-hugger. I can't help but to lay my hands upon their bark and silently say hello. I am reminded of just how small and insignificant we are as humans through their size and strength yet I am one with the universe through their spirit and connection to all living things.

Think Like A Tree
Soak up the sun
Affirm life's magic
Be graceful in the wind
Stand tall after a storm
Feel refreshed after it rains
Grow strong without notice
Be prepared for each season
Provide shelter to strangers
Hang tough through a cold spell
Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring
Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky
Be still long enough to
hear your own leaves rustling.

by Karen I. Shragg

Wildwood Cemetery

So I had a few minutes to kill before meeting up with penrapture to go to the Amherst Cemetery to meet some dead people. I decided to stop in the Wildwood Cemetery to have a look around.

With an entrance like this how could I resist?

Of course I found a tree to love right away. It is not often I find a Beech tree with no carvings in it and never one in an easily accessible public place. This one was gorgeous.

Next up was this great wooden bench parked under a tree overlooking the spring green lawn. The caretaker had been mowing and the air smelled of wet woods and fresh cut grass. It doesn't get much better than this.

The cemetery gets much wilder the further in you go. Some of the stones are covered in vines and moss. Some of them were surrounded by undergrowth and will be hard to find by mid-summer. Many of the monuments are natural boulders amongst the trees. This ornate Celtic cross was striking nestled in the greenery. If I wanted to be buried in a cemetery, this is the type of plot I would want.

I'm not sure what this means but it was unusual.

I only had time to drive around the inner circle but the view leaving the cemetery was spectacular!