I FOUND LIFE

Posted on June 1, 2019 by oneta hayes

cemetarycemetary

Why would one go to a cemetery where she knows no one?  Ask me. That’s what I did.  I am 350 miles from where most of my family members are buried.  I wanted to honor those who might at least represent my loved ones.  The cemetery is about 120 years old and contained people who lived in the same time span as my mom and dad.  Some of the earliest were born about the 1880 and the first burials were about 1915.   I thought I would go meditate and pray, and consider my own mortality.  Evaluate my life and my relationship with Jesus.

When I got there I did not find Death; I found a fuller concept of Life!  Oh, yes, there were decaying bodies below my feet, but that is not what I saw and felt.  I saw Life.  Memorials to real human beings. People who were once a lot like me.

On one headstone were the words “IT IS WELL,” reaffirming to me that these people still live.  In that open space, the scripture seems apt.  “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler…”

 God, the Great Protecting Bird.  There was great variety among his flock. Some small as a hummingbird; some were the eagles who died in military service;  some the doves – husbands and wives lying side by side.  The showy peacock was there, as well as the common sparrow.  I could spot them by the size of their nests.

It is good that life goes on.  There were two stones identifying two babies who died before experiencing what we think of as life – earthly life that is.  One had an earthly life of five days; the other about three weeks – a brother and sister born five years apart.  I’m glad their lives lived on.  What a reunion that must have been when mom and dad arrived!

infants

About oneta hayes

ABOUT ME Hello. To various folks I am Neat’nee, Mom, Grandma Neta, Gramma, Aunt Neta, Aunt Noni, Aunt Neno, and Aunt Neto (lots of varieties from little nieces and nephews). To some I’m more like “Didn’t you used to be my teacher?” or “Don’t I know you from someplace?” To you, perhaps, I am a Fellow Blogger. Not “fellow” like a male or a guy, but “fellow” like a companion or an adventurer. I would choose to be Grandma Blogger, and have you pull up a chair, my website before you, while I tell you of some days of yore. I have experienced life much differently than most of you. It was and is a good life. I hope to share nuggets of appreciation for those who have gone before me and those who come after me. By necessity you are among those who come after me and I will tell you of those who came before. Once upon a time in a little house on a prairie - oops, change that lest I commit plagiarism - and change that “house on the prairie” to “dugout on the prairie.” So my story begins...
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21 Responses to I FOUND LIFE

  1. pranabaxom says:
    June 1, 2019 at 11:22 am

    We die the day when there is no one to remember us.

    And then there is Bill Barr : ” everyone dies and legacies are meaningless”.

    Reply
    • oneta hayes says:
      June 1, 2019 at 11:46 am

      Hi, Pranab. Are you making some headway in the catching up with home and blogs? Welcome back. I don’t deny the bodies were dead, decaying in the dirt. We will relatively soon know about the spirit. People remembering has nothing to do with whether we live or die. How does Bill Barr enter this conversation? However, I have no idea what the context of this statement was anyway so how can I agree or disagree? It is an interesting topic though. Glad you are back.

      Reply
      • pranabaxom says:
        June 1, 2019 at 11:58 am

        Trying to get back to normal life. Final inspection passed (on Thursday). Some small touch up jobs here and there will take time as they are now low priority for the contractor. It is good to be able to cook in a real kitchen after four months. Won’t be able to move the furnitures etc. till third week of June ( final floor coating next week) as my wife is in India. She comes back on tenth and then immediately goes back to NJ next weekend. So I have the pleasure of cleaning the house during her absence ( and hopefully throw away boxes that we have not opened in last thirty years through four moves.😊).

        Bill Barr quote was a coincidence. As I opened my cell phone that was the news flash that came up and then I open wordpress and see your post ( I liked it ) and see a different ( and much better in my personal opinion) viewpoint. So it was just the contrast that I pointed out. Nothing political ( or is it 😊).

        Reply
        • oneta hayes says:
          June 1, 2019 at 12:14 pm

          If it was I didn’t get it. Context is important. Sometimes I wish someone would take over culling out my no-longer-needed stuff, but they do suffer my displeasure when they do. Somewhat like some people react to God.

          Reply
          • pranabaxom says:
            June 1, 2019 at 12:52 pm

            I have made peace with (your) God. He takes care of you and leaves me alone (I hope to take care of myself) 😊. So at peace.

            Reply
            • oneta hayes says:
              June 1, 2019 at 2:04 pm

              Oh, Pranab. You have chosen such a weakling to be your defender. Such a short time ago you were quite in angst because of having to cook in the garage. What will you do in the face of illness, accident, old age, dementia, death? Perhaps I am weaker than you, being a woman and old, but I have the good sense to acknowledge my weakness. Take care of myself? Is that a philosophy you are recommending to me? Oh, an afterthought, the peace you have with (my) God is that which he gave you when he gave you full control of your own will.

              Reply
              • pranabaxom says:
                June 1, 2019 at 2:08 pm

                Yeh, I have full control to be at peace with myself and recognize that you agreed you are a woman ( so you don’t need a manager😊).

            • oneta hayes says:
              June 1, 2019 at 2:39 pm

              I’m a weak woman. I need Julie. 😀

              Reply
  2. Julie (aka Cookie) says:
    June 1, 2019 at 11:32 am

    Most beautiful my friend

    Reply
  3. judyjourneys says:
    June 1, 2019 at 12:33 pm

    I find a lot of meaning in old cemeteries also.

    Reply
  4. floridaborne says:
    June 1, 2019 at 12:40 pm

    Cemeteries can tell us so much. They’re some of the calmest places on Earth.

    Reply
  5. degus221 says:
    June 1, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    Glad to see that you didn’t let life keep you away from your blog.
    I’ll be checking in more frequently now.

    Reply
  6. Shreya says:
    June 2, 2019 at 12:38 am

    I am sorry for the two babies who died early in their life. I’ve never been to a crematory. It’s kinda spooky.,😂😂

    Reply
    • oneta hayes says:
      June 2, 2019 at 1:09 pm

      I understand, Shreya. As Christians we do not believe the spirit remains in the ground; therefore, there is hope for eternal life with Jesus. Comforting. I am not anxious to leave this place however. 😀

      Reply
  7. Faye says:
    June 2, 2019 at 2:26 am

    I too from a historical and reflective time like to walk through cemeteries. When distance separates it is often hard to view relatives long gone and their tributed headstones. However, in recent years where most of our seniors have chosen cremation visiting the memorial parks where they chose to have ashes scattered brings the joy of ‘new life’ by the planted rose bushes.

    Reply

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