Memories at the Momuments

“Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone he had slept on and set it up on its end.  Then he poured olive oil on the top of it.”                                Genesis 28:18

I visited the Warren G. Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio.  It is where the 29th President of the United States and his wife are buried.  It is a beautiful 10-acre tree lined area surrounded by the Marion Cemetery.  It sits back from the busy highway and is a sacred place honoring one of our Presidents.  I also visited the Marion County Museum to learn more about President Harding and his dedication to the city of Marion.  He made a difference in this community and also in the short time he was President.  I was humbled to stand at his Memorial and give thanks for his life and service to the community and our country.

I pulled into our family cemetery – Chandler Cemetery - near the little town of Marseilles where my grandmother was raised.  Memories flooded my mind, and my heart felt the love that has surrounded me and been my foundation all my life.  The sun was shining, and the wind was blowing, and I felt the presence of the Lord.  This cemetery brings me comfort and peace.  As I read the tombstone of my parents, the names of their children are listed.  My name is on the stone.  Someday, my body will be laid to rest next to my parents.  There is sadness in the memories because those I love are not physically with me, but there is joy that they have lived, made a difference in my life, and are now in Heaven. 

As I walked through the cemetery, I felt like I was in the presence of my childhood.  I was walking through memories of my childhood as I passed each stone.  The tombstones were a tribute – a monument of remembrance for lives well lived.  I thanked God for the privilege of knowing so many of His saints.  Like Mary who was my “annual conference mom” and her husband, Lewis, who loved to tease me and supported me in my ministry. There are monuments to relatives I never met, but who are part of who I am and the foundation of our family.  Names I heard of but never met, but who are part of me. 

I stood at the grave of a former youth whose life was shortened.  I stood with his family and friends as he was laid to rest.  It was in the same cemetery where my husband, Dave, is buried and my dear friend, Ruth.  As I left a stone at their grave markers, I felt their presence and thanked God for their love and influence.  I remembered so many people I have laid to rest in this cemetery.  It was like visiting friends and church family.  I recognized some lives I could celebrate their long life and influence, but other lives were cut short from living days on this earth.  Their lives still influenced me, but I long to know what the full potential could have been.

I enjoy walking through cemeteries and looking at the monuments and grave markers.  Some are so unique with beautiful carvings and designs and even pictures.  Others just state a name.  Cemeteries are usually filled with trees and bushes and winding roads.  It is peaceful and a place to be reflective.  Each stone represents a life lived.  Each person was loved by someone.  Each person was part of a family.  Each person contributed to society.  We can learn from both positive and negative influences.  In our memories though, the bad fades and the good remains.

Jacob set the stone he laid on up on its end and worshiped God.  The stone was a monument to a memory of God’s presence.  The cemetery is a place of death.  It is the last place our earthly body is laid to rest.  But it is also a monument to God’s presence.  God created our loved one.  God loved them.  We love them.  We go to the cemetery seeking quiet and peace.  Seeking to remember those we love.  Thanking God for their life, their love and their influence upon our lives.  We go to thank God for the gift of their lives but also to thank God that death is not the end.  It is only the end to this earthly life.  We go to remind ourselves that the grave is not the end.  The love remains in our hearts.  The memories and love in our hearts is a gift from God.

As we remember, we praise God for the life, the love and all the memories.  We worship.  The cemetery has become a place of worship and prayer for me.  I have had the long nights of sorry and grief, and now I go to the cemetery in thanksgiving for the lives that have been on my journey and who I will one day see again.  Sadness is still present, and the tears still flow, but the sadness is mingled with hope.  Sadness and hope pour over the monument of memories.

Remember with love and thanksgiving!

Walking through grief?  Check out my book – Living In The Different.   Available on Amazon and at Tea Story in Upper Sandusky.