Visiting a Cemetery
by Rebecca on October 20, 2009
Every Halloween season, I get a certain urge to go to a cemetery. It’s kind of similar to the urge I get at Christmas time when I just itch to get to a mall. It goes along with the season, but it’s a little morbid.
It’s not that I want to be spooked or that I harbor fantasies of the undead rising from their grave. It’s just the season. There’s something almost romantic (do you recognize the Anne of Avonlea reference?) about walking around a cemetery in the fall with all the colorful leaves scattering around.
Normally, I push the desire aside because it just seems…well…creepy.
But this year, I thought I’d make an educational field-trip of it. I come from Mormon pioneer heritage, and since I live in Utah, there are plenty of ancestors’ graves to visit.
The Little Dear and I traveled to the oldest cemetery in Salt Lake (I’m pulling that statistic from somewhere in my memory- it may or may not be true).
We found the graves of two multiple great grandfathers and a multiple great grandmother.
Benjamin Brown and Sarah Mumford Brown are my great great great grandparents. They were the first ancestors on my father’s side to join the Mormon church. Benjamin suffered great persecution for his beliefs, even being beaten almost to death by a mob. In fact, the only reason he wasn’t killed is because he faked dead, sufficiently satisfying the blood thirsty desires of the hateful mob. Benjamin and Sarah made the trek from Illinois to Utah along with the other Mormon pioneers.
Homer Brown was his son. He trekked to Utah as well, but as a younger boy. He married my great great grandmother, Hannah, in Utah. She is buried in Idaho.
There’s something very reverent about visiting your ancestors’ graves. Even Lydia picked up on it.
I’m sure she didn’t understand the meaning of the cemetery, but I do believe she understood the feeling. As I told her that these were her grandpas, she became quiet and…well…reverent. Which is saying something, considering she’s under 2.
Contrary to my fantasies, there weren’t very many romantical leaves swirling around on our Halloween season trip to the cemetery. But the increased connection to ancestors made the trip quite worth it.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
You really know how to have a good time! Really, I would love to have that connection. I feel that I’m without root, but at least I have branches and they are alive. I would love to walk in swirling leaves with them. Maybe you could go to the cemetary next month and find swirling leaves. I was just wondering if when you told Lydia that those graves were her grandpas and grandmas if in her little mind she thought that the head stones were what you were talking about. It would be interesting to have a video of what she thinks whe you tell her things.
i adore old cemeteries!! i still remember when i was little and my mom and i used to go and do crayon rubbings of the oldest headstones we could find.
also, when we visit japan, the first place my dad’s family takes us – right when we get off the plane – is our ancestors’ shrine! they thank them for bringing us safely and pay homage to them. it is so awesome to have your ancestors’ graves so close and be able to share your history with little lydia!
How cool!! I think that is awsome!
Fun thing to do. Good to remember.