A love like that

I spend a lot of time in the cemetery. I know that sounds morbid but it's not. The cemetery here is beautiful. It's a wonderful place to walk and run. I've written a few things in the past about my cemetery experiences. I've learned so much about life in a place that seems more connected to death. Something happened there last week that I've been thinking about ever since.

During my lunch break last Tuesday I decided to take a walk in the cemetery. As I rounded one of the corners I noticed a very elderly woman using a rake and a hoe to work on the yard that surrounded one of the graves. As I got closer to her, I could see that she had tears running down her cheeks. She looked at me and made a comment about the beautiful weather. I agreed and then for some reason asked her if it was her husband's grave that she was working around. Her face lit up and she replied, "Yes. I always take time to make sure things are nice here for him." Her tears told me that her love was deep and that the pain was still very real. I told her how wonderful I thought her actions were and then we parted ways. As I walked I said a little prayer for her. I assumed that his death couldn't have been that long ago since she was so diligent in caring for the plot. When I began my second lap around the cemetery the woman was gone so I decided to take a closer look at her husband's headstone. I was shocked when I read the year that he died. 1964. For 43-years this woman has been meticulously caring for her husband's burial plot. I would imagine that means 43-years of missing him and 43-years of tears flowing down her cheeks when certain thoughts about him enter her mind. How wonderful to love and to be loved like that.

Over the past week, every time I've thought about my cemetery encounter I've found myself feeling incredibly blessed. I feel blessed because I met this woman and because I have a lot in common with her husband. You see, I know what it is to be loved like that. For the past 22-years I have been cared for by a man who has worked hard to make sure things were always okay for me even during those times when I was far from alive. I'm so very fortunate and thankful.

I hope you're able to say the same...that you've known a love like that. If not, get out and take a walk. You never know where love may find you. I highly recommend the cemetery.

    

Comments

[jeff]

Deb ~ Wow! That brought tears to my eyes. It's so beautiful to see people who truly cheerish each other. How neat that you came across that woman.

As I read this all I could think about was my great-grandmother. I will never forget hearing my great-grandmother cry shortly after my great-grandfather died when I was about 7. I think I cried myself to sleep for the next 2 weeks just thinking about it. It wasn't just an emotionally sad moment. It was life changing for me. In a fairly simple way I learned and experienced then what it meant to truly love someone. Not just because I heard her cry but because I could hear her grief and somehow I understood what it meant.

What a blessing you are. Thanks so much for that story of love!!!

By the way, I do love you soo much!!!

[Heidi Renee]

Oh I love this Deb! Just beautiful!

I too love cemeteries. The one my mother is buried in is my favorite of all. We used to play hide and seek in the dark as teenagers there - I think I wet my pants a couple of times we psyched ourselves out so badly! :)

We have so many cemeteries in our small town, but they are all so very tiny. I love to drive around and look for them to take pictures - sometimes the carvings on the gravestones are so incredibly beautiful.

When we were at our last family reunion my aunts took us all to all of the pioneer family cemeteries and showed us all of our ancestors graves. It was one of my favorite memories, reconnecting with them and their stories in that way.

[Mark D]

Wow, what a wonderful post. It truly does bring a reminder to keep things in their proper perspective.