As The Family Grows :: Forest Cemetery

An Unconventional Field Trip

An unconventional history lesson

Answering the question...

Where did I come from?

Family Genealogy.

This particular outing was orchestrated

by my brother, Tim.

He wanted to take Mom to what's known as

The Old North End...

the area our mom grew up in...

an area that is now known for its

high crime rate.

This cemetery has seen some

unfortunate vandalism...

but as we walked the grounds on a crisp

November day...

I can attest to the fact that it has

retained its quiet beauty.

Many family members were buried

here at Forest Cemetery.

Armed with a map provided by Tim

and mom's crystal clear memory...

we went in search of

our family plots.

Marie Brockmann...

our Great Grandmother.

Surrounded by family...

remembered through stories told by mom.

As we travelled...

we couldn't help but stop

and appreciate the beautiful

monuments.

Even though it was damaged...

this angel still caused us to pause

and appreciate

the beauty

that could not be

taken away.

We made rubbings of

those markers

that brought

us here.

Steven Paul Thompson.

An older brother I

never met.

But who I know through the

many stories passed down through

the years.

I know that we will meet someday.

Now that is something

to look forward to.

Our Grandparents.

We never met our grandfather

but Dorathea...

was the best grandma ever.

Well...

I'm sure my boys would challenge that

since they claim to have the best.

My memories are pure

and simple

and so very precious.

She still visits me from time to time

in my dream world.

Maybe tonight I will be so fortunate.

Whether we knew the person

or not...

we often found ourselves

caught in thought

and prayer.

Caught in moments of joy in remembering

or contemplating the times

in which they lived...

reading names and dates and

wondering...

the who...the what...

the when.

The unexpected emotion

of happiness.

To have gone on this adventure

together...

as family.

Discovering moments

from a shared history...

and from the history we have learned.

This marker caught our attention...

as did the many that

surrounded it.

Finding stone steps

that led to the

crypts

below.

This one in particular

captured our imagination.

If you look closely

you will see

the small peek hole

which begged to be looked through.

What would you expect to see?

A hole that looked

through to another hole in the

stone seal beyond?

Then you would be correct.

Interesting...

intriguing.

Who put that hole there?

Why?

Was it made by the vandals

or by the family it now housed?

A good start to a compelling

novel for the very

romantic.

Of course my boys had to

include gym class

in their day...

rock climbing.

The best kind...

with no safety harnesses to

make mom feel

better about the height.

The sparse landscape...

the bare trees of November...

the low hung clouds of Fall...

the cool breeze that

told of the coming snows.

The quiet and cold beauty

of a cemetery.

With a single purple flower

found by Susie.

A flower that must have

forgotten the season.

A simple reminder that even in the snows of Winter...

we will all bloom

in glory.

amen.