Thoughts on Memorial Day

The Girls went north last Wednesday to present to the Ipswich Historical Society. I expected it would be a 'normal' event, but every now and then something special happens......

Part of our presentation includes images of modern gravestones in the town we are presenting at. As usual I included photos of the more recently departed (instead of our regular 200-300 year olds). I am always hesitant in selecting modern images because you never know who's going to be sitting in your audience.

I introduced the gravestone of "Pete" to the crowd. His stone bore a well recreated image of a photograph that depicted a man who was casual, friendly and comfortable. His eternal image shows him in a baseball cap and short sleeve shirt, arms leaning forward on his legs with a big smile, a bottle of beer in his hand while seated on a cooler. If this is the image his family chose to represent him for eternity, they chose well and left the perfect picture for every stranger to come by and immediately get to know Pete.

When I conveyed my impression to the audience, a woman raised her hand and said "That's my husband. That photo was taken on a Saturday, by my daughter, at a cookout. He choked at the picnic and was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with stage 4 esophogal cancer. He died shortly thereafter."

Oh boy. I thought I could be in a pickle here but she went on to say she had been looking for a sign from him and this certainly must be it. We talked for a long time after the presentation and she emailed me the other day with an update. She said that night after the presentation was the first night she slept well and in her own bed instead of unrestful on the livingroom loveseat. She has also decided to take up cemeterying (our word) to develop a new hobby and get back into the land of the living instead of hiding at home alone.

I cannot tell you how moved I was to make that connection in Ipswich. When you think the magic is gone, it simply just reappears. Everything happens for a reason and if The Gravestone Girls are able to help out, then we are truly blessed and honored.

For this Memorial Day, I want you all to meet Pete.

ARRIVED!!

So, three months ago we invited you to join us in the 21st century via our blog, and then silence. Well no more!! We're getting in the swing and have lots to share! And so does the rest of the cemetery world. It's going to come in no particular order, but it's all good. We've been a lot of places and done so many cool things we are ready to share! To keep it lighthearted to start, let's show you how junk food and cemeteries go together.....


CINCINNATI (AP) -- Fredric Baur, the man who designed the Pringles can, is taking his work with him. Baur's family says, according to his wishes, they have buried a portion of his cremated remains in a Pringles can. His son says his father was extremely proud of his invention. Baur was a chemist and food storage expert at Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati when he came up with the tubular Pringles container in 1966. He received the can patent in 1970. He died on May 4th at the age of 89.

***WARDROBE MALFUNCTION***

Seems we had some issues with the metal closures on our Jackson and Jersey barrettes, so if you have one that decided to head for the cemetery early, let us know and we'll replace it!!

WWaGGDo?? (What Would A Gravestone Girl Do???)

The husband had just finished reading a new book entitled "You Can Be THE Man of Your House!" when he stormed in to the kitchen and announced "From now on you need to know I am the man of the house and my word is LAW! You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonite, then serve me a sumptuous dessert. We will then go upstairs and have the kind of sex I want. You will then draw me a bath, wash my back, towel me dry and bring me my robe. Next you will massage my feel and hands. Then, tomorrow, guess who is going to dress me and comb my hair?"

The wife replied: "The funeral director would be MY first guess!"

Closer

I can't wait any longer! I've been so excited about having a blog for a few weeks. About time. Eh. The Gravestone Girls are old souls... sometimes it takes us a little longer than the rest of the world with technology.

I've had a cemetery on my brain today. Surprised right!?

Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno in Genoa, Italy. A place I've only visited through photographs.. but wanted to share...

All my favorite cemeteries.. whether I've been there in person or not.. always seem to possess this stark contrast of light and dark places...



Recognize this image? This beautiful photo of Staglieno was taken by Bernard Pierre Wolff and used on the cover for the single for Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division.



One of the Gravestone Girls loves her brides. This is a wonderful and unusual example! Look at the delight on her face. This couple wanted to be remembered for their love for eachother.

Check out this video I found of some other beauties I found in Staglieno.



xxxooo - zipporah