Good story. Growing up in a small town when we did was idyllic. You could walk or bike almost anywhere. There was main street with all the shops and outside of town was woods, fields, streams, a river, and plenty to explore, including cemeteries. The ones I liked the most were the old ones dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, with graves of those who lived during the country's founding. Some graves were those of veterans from the Revolutionary War and those that followed into the 20th century and later.
Hi C.J, I am doing OK. Winter isn't my favourite season, though the full moon in the fog las night was cool. And yes, we always have the fairies. Sending love to you. 🙏 ❤️
Cemeteries are fascinating, even the newer graves, which are often decorated with toys, trinkets that suggest the person's favorite activities, and even photos. There was one grave in Bodie, CA that really affects my husband and me. The husband wrote heartbreaking epitaphs on the four sides of a tall marble monolith. It had weathered significantly, so it was hard to read some of the words. There was an aura hanging around it though, as if the couple, or one of them, still haunted the site. Very sad feeling there and palpable. It moved us both to tears. When we walked a few feet away, the heavines was gone.
Wow, Sue, that’s profound! If you both felt the heaviness then I have no doubts that their spirit was there, guarding. Purely amazing! Thank you for sharing that!
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. When I was a sophomore in high school, I was a pallbearer at my grandfather’s funeral. My father, mother, sister, and my father’s parents are buried in a small cemetery nestled among cornfields.
Most did not have epitaphs. We did put “the Lord is my shepherd” on my dad’s tombstone because the 23rd Psalm was his favorite. In my leadership speech I tell a Zig Ziglar story about two farmers falling into an open grave.
I live in an area with a fairly large cemetery about 2 blocks away. A couple of times my power chair has even got stuck there ! I've seen plenty of old monuments to wealthy local families from different eras, including children. When I have a working camera I take lots of photographs there. The cemetery looks kind of European.
Do you also have a fascination with old cemeteries, Daniel? The one near you would definitely hold my interest. Tell me, are there epitaphs on the tombstones? That’s what I really love.
I've seen some memorials that had almost entire biographies & some with just a NAME at most. I look at the religious & other symbology. Despite the Protestant Christian dislike / distrust of " secret societies ", I've seen a LOT of Masonic, Knights Templar, Shriner, etc. symbols on gravestones. That's sort of another area of interest for me. I have or HAD one very sizeable book on the whole Freemasons society but lost track of it. Very difficult considering its size !
We’ve had a lot of the same experiences with gravestones, Daniel. As a matter of fact, my father was a Mason. I never understood what that was because Daddy never talked about it. I don’t remember him being too involved either —only when the Masons did something to help the community.
I kind of get the " secret " aspect & the rituals, the distrust, etc. from organized religion i.e. most Protestant denominations I don't QUITE UNDERSTAND, unless it was like the town from " Footloose " multiplied. 😄
BTW there is 1 grave of a young girl who died very young, in 1858, roughly a century before I was born. I feel..... I can't describe it, a KINSHIP of sorts with her. Her family name is listed as Malone much like Molly Malone from the song. Her stone is in reasonably good condition & somewhat ornate, which would indicate that her family was moderately well off. I even did a photo essay of the cemetery, gratis, for a local throwaway publication that stayed in business for a few months several years ago.
This is a lovely piece that touched my heart. Thank you, Catherine, for gifting the world your words! 🩷
Oh dear, Wen, thank YOU for your kind words —you also touch my heart.
💕❤️💕
Good story. Growing up in a small town when we did was idyllic. You could walk or bike almost anywhere. There was main street with all the shops and outside of town was woods, fields, streams, a river, and plenty to explore, including cemeteries. The ones I liked the most were the old ones dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, with graves of those who lived during the country's founding. Some graves were those of veterans from the Revolutionary War and those that followed into the 20th century and later.
Thank you, Frederick. Yes, it sounds like your upbringing was very similar. Thank you for sharing with me.
And thank you for the restack.
You’re very welcome.
Sweet C.J, l love visiting cemeteries and reading too. Sounds like you had a magic childhood 🙏🏼💜
Hi Simone. I did —-but I think both of us must have had pretty magical childhoods. Remember, we also had our fairies. 💕❤️😊
I hope you’re doing well, my friend.
Hi C.J, I am doing OK. Winter isn't my favourite season, though the full moon in the fog las night was cool. And yes, we always have the fairies. Sending love to you. 🙏 ❤️
Thank you! I’ll take the love and I’ll take the fairies, too! 😂🤣😁
Cemeteries are fascinating, even the newer graves, which are often decorated with toys, trinkets that suggest the person's favorite activities, and even photos. There was one grave in Bodie, CA that really affects my husband and me. The husband wrote heartbreaking epitaphs on the four sides of a tall marble monolith. It had weathered significantly, so it was hard to read some of the words. There was an aura hanging around it though, as if the couple, or one of them, still haunted the site. Very sad feeling there and palpable. It moved us both to tears. When we walked a few feet away, the heavines was gone.
Wow, Sue, that’s profound! If you both felt the heaviness then I have no doubts that their spirit was there, guarding. Purely amazing! Thank you for sharing that!
Ghost stories are especially wondrous when they are real.
Real Ghosts, Sue? That’s intriguing! Have you seen any? Please share if you have!
Here are two of my posts from Substack that tell some of the experiences that I and my family have had. Hope you get a kick out of them.
The Ghost of Apartment L
https://suecauhape.substack.com/p/the-ghost-of-apartment-l-Ghosty Sh*t!8e8?utm_source=publication-search
Ghosty Sh*t!
https://suecauhape.substack.com/p/ghosty-sht?utm_source=publication-search
Sue, I can’t reach the first link. I got this message: Page not found
I'm sorry. Try this link: https://suecauhape.substack.com/p/the-ghost-of-apartment-l?utm_source=publication-search
Does the other link work?
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. When I was a sophomore in high school, I was a pallbearer at my grandfather’s funeral. My father, mother, sister, and my father’s parents are buried in a small cemetery nestled among cornfields.
May I ask, did they have epitaphs etched on their tombstones? Thank you for sharing, Harley, and for restacking my post.
Most did not have epitaphs. We did put “the Lord is my shepherd” on my dad’s tombstone because the 23rd Psalm was his favorite. In my leadership speech I tell a Zig Ziglar story about two farmers falling into an open grave.
Please finish telling me about the two farmers, Harley! My curiosity is killing me!
I live in an area with a fairly large cemetery about 2 blocks away. A couple of times my power chair has even got stuck there ! I've seen plenty of old monuments to wealthy local families from different eras, including children. When I have a working camera I take lots of photographs there. The cemetery looks kind of European.
Do you also have a fascination with old cemeteries, Daniel? The one near you would definitely hold my interest. Tell me, are there epitaphs on the tombstones? That’s what I really love.
Thank you for taking the time to restack my post.
I've seen some memorials that had almost entire biographies & some with just a NAME at most. I look at the religious & other symbology. Despite the Protestant Christian dislike / distrust of " secret societies ", I've seen a LOT of Masonic, Knights Templar, Shriner, etc. symbols on gravestones. That's sort of another area of interest for me. I have or HAD one very sizeable book on the whole Freemasons society but lost track of it. Very difficult considering its size !
We’ve had a lot of the same experiences with gravestones, Daniel. As a matter of fact, my father was a Mason. I never understood what that was because Daddy never talked about it. I don’t remember him being too involved either —only when the Masons did something to help the community.
I kind of get the " secret " aspect & the rituals, the distrust, etc. from organized religion i.e. most Protestant denominations I don't QUITE UNDERSTAND, unless it was like the town from " Footloose " multiplied. 😄
I never paid attention to things like that. I was too involved with high school and after school projects. It just didn’t matter.
BTW there is 1 grave of a young girl who died very young, in 1858, roughly a century before I was born. I feel..... I can't describe it, a KINSHIP of sorts with her. Her family name is listed as Malone much like Molly Malone from the song. Her stone is in reasonably good condition & somewhat ornate, which would indicate that her family was moderately well off. I even did a photo essay of the cemetery, gratis, for a local throwaway publication that stayed in business for a few months several years ago.
What fun, Daniel! I would love traipsing around through there. Yes, please do take photos. I'd like to see them. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the restacks, GeorgeAnn and Connie!
Robert, thank you for the restack! 💋💋💋
Thank you for the restack, GeorgeAnn! I so appreciate your kind support!