A Visit to the Cemetery

Yes, I visited Rose Hill Cemetery today.  Well, I actually went there to walk and take some pictures.  I love walking in the cemetery. It's so peaceful and beautiful and I don't think of it as a scary place at all.  My aunt Jean is buried there and my Grandma Burns. I stopped by their graves and paused in my walked to reflect on the memories I have of them.  They were both wonderful women and they are dearly loved and missed by many of us.

I guess the important thing here is that I was only visiting....but someday I will have a resting place just like my grandmother and my aunt.  I have given a little bit of thought as to where I might like to be buried, but I don't give it much thought.  I just assume that my last day on earth will not come for many more years. But it's important to remember that none of us are promised tomorrow.   We are here on Earth for an appointed number of days and then we will go to our eternal home. 

We were told on Sunday that my Grandpa Burns is in the final stages of his life.  Hospice aids and nurses are sitting with him round the clock and we have all been dropping by the nursing home to hold his hand and let him know we love him and are there for him.  I have watched the Grandpa that I love slip away over the last couple of years, but the Grandpa of my youth is still hiding there behind his beautiful blue eyes.  On Sunday as I leaned over his bed, he stared right in to my eyes for what felt like several minutes.  Then he reached over and held my chin in his hand.  I winked at him and he winked back and grinned.  There he was...my Papap, as I used to call him, looking me in the eyes, holding my chin and letting me know that he knew I was there.  I know that he is ready to go as he has been a devoted Christian for nearly all of his 93 years, but my heart is aching at the thought of saying that final goodbye.
 

It probably won't be many more days till I will visit Rose Hill Cemetery to lay the body of my Grandpa to rest beside his wife of 60 years, b ut today was a visit of another sort; to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness, to reflect on loved ones, and to capture a picture or two.