A couple of months ago I had to take a very sick cat on what turned out to be his final visit to the vet. It was tough day for me, but even tougher for my nephew, who was having to face the death of a family pet for the first time. In his grief, my nephew asked that the cat be cremated, and I obliged. Big Artie now resides in an ornately carved box on the shelf above my nephew’s bed.
The whole experience started me thinking about how we honor our loved ones in death, be they two- or four-legged. My mother was cremated years ago. Until my father’s death last July, she occupied the bottom shelf of an end table that sat next to his favorite chair. Both parents now reside at my sister’s home, their boxes resting side by side atop a tall secretary's desk Dad had made in his woodworking days.
Over the years I’ve been very fortunate to travel to Europe. On each of those trips I discovered touching old-world customs serving the deceased. Many of the villages in Switzerland have graves marked with individual flower gardens, each lovingly cared for by family and friends. These cemeteries are usually connected to a church, and in some instances, watering cans are provided for individuals to tend the gardens before and after the worship services. In Italy I observed a cemetery in which the framed pictures of loved ones were an integral part of the grave markers, giving personal insights into lives being celebrated.
There’s something special about the idea of still connecting, even after death. To continue to recognize a life that was. To continue to honor someone dear to your heart. To continue to care. I believe God would greatly approve.
Images from top to bottom (click on image for better detail):
1. Schmitten, Switzerland
2. Schmitten, Switzerland
3. Monstein, Switzerland
4. Monstein, Switzerland
5. Impruneta. Italy
6. Impruneta, Italy
The whole experience started me thinking about how we honor our loved ones in death, be they two- or four-legged. My mother was cremated years ago. Until my father’s death last July, she occupied the bottom shelf of an end table that sat next to his favorite chair. Both parents now reside at my sister’s home, their boxes resting side by side atop a tall secretary's desk Dad had made in his woodworking days.
Over the years I’ve been very fortunate to travel to Europe. On each of those trips I discovered touching old-world customs serving the deceased. Many of the villages in Switzerland have graves marked with individual flower gardens, each lovingly cared for by family and friends. These cemeteries are usually connected to a church, and in some instances, watering cans are provided for individuals to tend the gardens before and after the worship services. In Italy I observed a cemetery in which the framed pictures of loved ones were an integral part of the grave markers, giving personal insights into lives being celebrated.
There’s something special about the idea of still connecting, even after death. To continue to recognize a life that was. To continue to honor someone dear to your heart. To continue to care. I believe God would greatly approve.
Images from top to bottom (click on image for better detail):
1. Schmitten, Switzerland
2. Schmitten, Switzerland
3. Monstein, Switzerland
4. Monstein, Switzerland
5. Impruneta. Italy
6. Impruneta, Italy
I really like this blog! I actually love walking through cemeteries-does that make me strange? They are so peaceful and I like to imagine what the lives were like of the people-some ancestors- that had gone before me. Were they artists or slaves, rich or poor, did they do something great and leave a legacy or were they all alone when they died?-Kinda of wierd, huh? And thanks for the pictures, too! They are beautiful and I will probably never get to visit some of the places you've been and these pictures are really lovely! Thanks for sharing!!
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