Today was spent at a local orchard with my mom, sister, cousins, aunt, and Nate. Spending an afternoon petting goats, drinking cider, sampling fresh apples, and indulging in hot apple pie is one of my favorite autumnal activities. Especially with my family.
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Welcome Joy: Death in Puritan New England is turning out to be the perfect fall read. While it may sound morbid to some, it is absolutely fascinating. A dissertation on Puritan attitudes toward death, it examines the way in which the Puritan colonists viewed death, faced death, and dealt with the deaths of loved ones, especially as it related to their doctrinal beliefs. In many ways, we are blessed to be much more separated from the reality and haunt of death than our forebears were. It is not the constant presence it once was, when most families lost several children and many people succumbed to diseases that are unfamiliar to us today. Yet unlike many other things about our world and society that has changed in the intervening 300 years, we all still must face and come to terms with the reality of death at some point in our lives. It is something that connects us all, and it is quite interesting to reflect on the commonalities and differences between the ways in which we face death.
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And speaking of death...... One of my favorite things: exploring cemeteries. Especially at this time of year. When one of my best friends came to visit several weeks ago, we did just that.
Besides my husband, she's my favorite person to explore cemeteries with.
She was talking to me about a symbol on one of the stones. I caught her mid-speak. Sorry, Ash!
One of the cemeteries we went to is a small cemetery for a settlement in the 1840s and 1850s that has now disappeared. It is close to our home, tucked into a small copse of trees between two farms.
A small rusted gate leads into it and the stones are all over a century old, weathered by time.
I feel my soul quieten and still every time I wander a cemetery. Images fill my mind as I walk past the stones- the mourners in black circled around freshly dug graves, prayers and Psalms spoken into the wind, families and neighbors creating a community of strength in the face of loss. So many stories are told with each stone, in each family plot. I am always humbled by the strength of memory permeating such places. And in the act of bending over to read the faded words, they are remembered again, and exist briefly once more.
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Little things that are exciting me lately: squash, my "to-read" list (ooh, I've got some good ones coming up), my cat, chili in the Crock-Pot, wearing my prayer shawl as I read, finishing homework, clean laundry, and good coffee. How about you?
The orchard sounds LOVELY!! And I do this too: wandering old cemerteries. It's surreal. I saw my great-great-great-great grandfather's tombstone recently, along with those of his immediate family. Crazy cool. (I would never go alone though!)
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic! I especially love visiting cemeteries when I'm doing genealogy work or just visiting my ancestors. What an amazing experience that must have been!! Someday I would love to go out to New England and see some of my ancestor's tombs. And then on to the British Isles, Germany, and Bulgaria to see more!
DeleteI used to walk through a cemetery twice a day to and from Primary School for years with my Mum and it never bothered me. It still doesn't these days. I feel very calm in a cemetery. The orchard sounds wonderful. I went to find some conkers yesterday around my estate but we only found two! I love watching my Mum carve pumpkins every Halloween, eating parkin and drinking tea at this time of year. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful story! I too feel at peace when I am in a cemetery... it makes all of my stress melt away and puts my life into perfect perspective. Sounds like you have a great autumn planned! By the way, what is parkin? I am so interested in the sound of that!
DeleteHi Jillian, Parkin is essentially the Northern English form of gingerbread. Parkin is a lovely, moist sticky cake and it tastes very nice!
DeleteI love cemeteries, and I love very much taking pictures there. Must admit, sometimes I go through phases of being frightened, though :)
ReplyDeleteHow can you not, really? Especially at night! But yes, it's the perfect place for picture-taking.
DeleteI love cemeteries and reading obituaries!! You can learn so much about a person and learn from them how precious life is and the need to be thankful for it. Love those who surround you, make a difference with a smile or kind word.
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