Here are some additional shots from my time in Cedar Hill Cemetery this past weekend. The top photo is a metal statue of Jesus on the Cross, located in the area of the cemetery where the nuns and priests are buried.
I took the photo of the hand and believe it belongs in this group of photos because it stopped me in my tracks when I found this particular monument. The symbolism of the hand holding the rose, almost like it is going to drop, is so poetic. It is such a delicate gesture and full of expression to me.
People sometimes are surprised when I tell them I like wandering around old cemeteries. But I connect with the history of the people who are buried there. I consider their lives and the lives of their children and how they may have impacted the community in which they are buried. I dwell quite a bit on the people who made the actual statues and monuments as well, because some of the monuments — such as many in Cedar Hill — are so elaborate you know it took quite a bit of time and effort to make them. Devotion to doing the best they could shows all around. I like that.
Plus, I like the hidden "jewels" I sometimes find. Saturday I ran across a grave that had fallen over. Below the ground line of the tombstone were the words "Erected by his mother." The words would not have been seen when the tombstone was erect, but were laid bare by time. There's a story there, a sad one perhaps, that I will just have to ponder in my heart for a while.
Marty, I enjoy your commentary as much as I do your photography. You so clearly love what you do, and that shows through in your work.
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with those sheep! Look at their wonderful faces!
I love cemeteries, too. There was one right behind our house growing up. I think it's lost to time now because the proprety is no longer in our possession and hasn't been for over 40 years. It's probably been reclaimed by the earth.
Sheila
Hello Marty, i don't even know how i came across your website but i just wanted to tell you that your views are wonderful. I especially liked your story about the fallen grave; "erected by his mother". This saying is especially warm to my heart. I recently lost my oldest son, who was 19, in a car wreck involving a Brandon Ms police cruiser. I have been trying so diligently to get final matters settled; the tombstone is the hardest. When i read your passage, it was as if another mother knew my heartbreak; maybe she even wanted that everlasting bond as i do. Just a reminder that she & her child existed...
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