A Quiet Respite
The past month has been busy for a number of reasons. First we had been dealing with the extreme heat. Just trying to keep the flowers and vegetable garden from wilting away has been a challenge.
Forget cutting the grass. Only after a few recent drops of rain has the lawn made a slight effort to return to its green pasture-like appearance. The rose bushes appreciated a rain shower even more as the blooms are flourishing quite nicely.
The cool evenings have brought some relief to the hummingbirds that have been battling a variety of bees seeking to share their nectar at our feeders. Opening the windows and cutting off the air conditioning has been a delight. Nothing is better than a cool breeze wafting through the bedroom windows.
Although both the Republican and Democrat national conventions are in the books, there is no relief from the noise of both parties. It can be exasperating and overwhelming. So I decided to seek some quiet time in a place where the only real noise is inside my own head.
I drove up the steep, winding road to the site of my parents’ graves at Mount Calvary Cemetery. As I pulled off the road and sat in my car, a breeze was kicking up. All the small American flags placed at various graves began to whip around offering a gentle greeting. This and the rustle of the leaves in the trees were the only sounds I could hear.
To say this was peaceful would be an understatement. I got out of my car and walked the short distance to the headstone beneath which my parents found their final resting places. My brother, Greg, has been faithful in his care and attention to their graves. He has installed the proper container in which flowers are placed. He makes sure my father’s military service is remembered with fresh Stars and Stripes at all times.
My parents’ headstone is unique to their lives. Both my parents were writers in the newspaper 老司机直播. An old-style typewriter is etched between their names and dates of their births and deaths.
Among my parents’ most prized accomplishments was raising 12 children. The first name of each child is also permanently inscribed on their headstone at their request. I guess it was their way of us always being with them in some way.
After a few words and prayers, I looked around at how many more headstones have been added to the cemetery. And so many are personalized in ways most fitting to their owners. The most common theme appears to be angels. However, take a look at the beautiful etchings of deer, pets, balloons and picturesque scenes. Photographs of entire families can be found on some gravestones.
A cemetery is often only looked at as a place of sadness, of mourning. But it also can be a place of comfort if you open your heart and mind to the peace and quiet such as that I found on a glorious day to be alive.
Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.