dual personalities

Tag: cemeteries

August 31, 2020

“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sweet”*

by chuckofish

On Saturday the OM and I decided to take a drive down to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on the Mississippi River at Lemay, MO. Both our fathers are buried there, so we found their graves.

I was glad to be reminded that my father’s grave was located on Grant Drive with a nice view. (You will recall that U.S. Grant was assigned to Jefferson Barracks after graduating from West Point in 1843.) ANC III was a proud veteran of two wars and I think he would be pleased with his resting place.

We didn’t tarry.

The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat
The soldier’s last tattoo;
No more on life’s parade shall meet
That brave and fallen few.
On Fame’s eternal camping-ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And Glory guards, with solemn round,
The bivouac of the dead.

From “Bivouac of the Dead” by Theodore O’Hara (1820 – 1867)

In other news I was sad to note the passing of Julia Evans Reed who fought the good fight but lost it finally on Friday. She was a journalist and wrote for Garden & Gun in recent years. She appreciated old things and history, her southern heritage, old friends and good parties. And she was a good writer. Also lost to cancer was Chadwick Bozeman, who soldiered on through surgeries and chemotherapy to make several movies, most notably Black Panther (2018), exhibiting extraordinary courage.

Into paradise may the angels lead thee and at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem. (BCP, Burial of the Dead, Rite I)

On a happier note, daughter #2 dressed wee Katiebelle in a smocked dress my mother made for daughter #1 and had a photo shoot. Note the wee babe is wearing the cherry bloomers and matching booties her aunt made to complete the ensemble.

Here is daughter #1 wearing the dress on Christmas in 1984 with her grandma who made it.

Sunrise, sunset.

One of the lessons in Sunday’s liturgy was this wonderful passage from Romans:

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Words to live by. I especially like the part about leaving room for the wrath of God. Trust that he is in control. Everything will work out.

*Carole King

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March 3, 2012

A place of quiet contemplation

by chuckofish

I like cemeteries, especially old ones full of interesting monuments and/or family members. Cemeteries are usually quiet and pretty; they encourage us to think and they remind us of our roots.

Take this one in Clarence, Ontario, which we visited when our eldest son, now 21, was an adorable 1 1/2 year old:

Newly arrived in the North Country, we made the pilgrimage to Clarence out of curiosity. There actually is no real town there, just an old church and a few houses. Serendipity and a complete stranger led us to the cemetery one town over where most of our British/Canadian family members are buried. James is peeking out from behind the tombstone of his great, great, (many greats)…grandfather, Isaac Whitney Taylor (1791-1861), whose daughter, Louisa Taylor, after marrying a wild Frenchman, Fabian Blais, had 9 children including our great grandmother on our mother’s side, Susie Louise. She in turn married the hard-working Scottish lumberman, Daniel Cameron, who moved the family from the backwoods to bustling Burlington VT. Imagine Susie’s relief.

Our father’s father’s family also lived in VT and proximity has made it possible to visit the small cemetery in Moretown (between Burlington and Montpelier), where lots of them are buried. Moretown is another non-town which now has only the cemetery and a few houses. When our great, great grandfather’s family lived there, they ran an Inn for a while so it must have been a little busier. Here’s a picture of yours truly and her three little goofballs visiting the ancestors. Whatever would they have thought of the tie-dyed shirt and backwards fanny-packs? One dare not imagine.

One can visit a cemetery without indulging in the beautiful melancholy of Baudelaire, who wrote, “To the solemn graves, near a lonely cemetery, my heart like a muffled drum is beating funeral marches.” But it is nice to pay our respects to those who came before us, whether we knew them personally or not. I highly recommend a visit to your local cemetery.

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