My wife and I went on a tour of a cemetery this week on a cold but sunny winter day here in Minnesota. I have to say that it was a beautiful cemetery, even in the winter.
We visited the chapel on the grounds. It was a work of art. It had stained glass windows, mosaic art on the walls and the domed ceiling. The marble altar and floors were gorgeous. The lamps were Frank Lloyd Wright style stained glass. I could easily imagine having a wonderful and peaceful funeral in that chapel. There was a reflecting pool outside that was frozen over and covered with snow.
As we drove through the rolling hills in the middle of the city, one section looked out over the skyline and the skyscrapers downtown. Another section looked out over the frozen lake. The big oak trees still looked majestic even though their leaves were gone.
We talked about our plans for the future, and specifically what our wishes were for preparing to die. Do we want to be cremated? What if we move? How do you feel about a final resting place and what is the feel of the cemetery?
Some of the graves looking out over the city were in prime real estate. They had small granite buildings for different families in this section. They also had headstones or memorials that looked like a small version of the Washington Monument or a stature of some famous war general.
We did not stop at the office, but I am guessing that the cost of the cemetery plot itself for this area of the city puts it out of reach for over 80% of the people who live here. The monuments were probably set in place by a team of horses at the time of the funeral. They did have a building where people who are cremated now have a little cubby hole with their name on it.
It just left me wondering where the average person today does get buried, it they still do that. But I still have “promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep”. Robert Frost.