Networking at the Cemetery

I know exactly how lucky I am to live a mile down the street from the cemetery where my deceased family members have their grave sites.  My daughter and son-in-law could have chosen to bury their child closer to their home - nearly an hour away - but rather made the decision to keep Kitty with her great- and great-great grandparents and close to me.  I am so grateful.

The cemetery is lovely.  It is well tended and beautifully landscaped.  There is much comfort to be found spending time there. 

Two of the more unique and special features of our cemetery are the Children's Memorial and the section specifically designated for burial of children and infants, if desired by the family.  Every three months, there is also a special service and burial for babies whose mothers have miscarried.  Love, caring and support abounds.

Because my home is so close, I spend a fair amount of time at the cemetery.  In fact, this is  where I do a lot of my networking.

The first summer after Kitty died, I would wander up the hill from her site and I would dig around the headstones of children who appeared to be forgotten.  Maybe they had no siblings ... maybe their siblings didn't know about them.  Perhaps the family had moved away.  Parents of many of these children would be quite elderly - probably deceased.  Whatever the circumstance, I felt a need to take care of these babies,  to talk to them and let them know that someone cared about them.  I cleaned their stones.  It was good therapy for my grief.

During that summer ... just because I was there ... I met parents and grandparents who also came to spend time with their children and grandchildren.  Some have become close in heart.  One grandma and I see each other at our granddaughters' grave sites often.  Her husband is buried straight across the road from her little angel and my Kitty.  I haven't seen her for awhile, but know she has been to visit.  'Her' stones have fresh cut flowers during the growing season and are decorated to match throughout the rest of the year.  I look forward to reconnecting as spring rolls into summer.

There is nothing more consoling than finding others who understand what it's like to be a bereaved grandparent.  I never gave any thought to the cemetery being a place to hang out, but as a networking platform, it's pretty amazing.