Cemetery

I went to the Lakeview, Roselawn and Tiger Flowers cemetery complex for this fieldtrip, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes. This time made me think about all those people.. what were their lives like. Some of them loved so long ago in such a different time than me, I went with Seth, Sterling and Isaac and some of our conversation we had was about a African American couple that had lived through some major racial oppression. Seth also said that it made him wonder what people would think of him once he died. What a great question to ask yourself and even check yourself. Am I living a life that is meaningful enough? Will I have impacted lives in my lifetime enough to be remembered? Reading the text of Lewis in the Cemetery made the words that he wrote have much weight. It wasn't just reading about death and grief, it was being surrounded by it. I think people often stray from readings about death or going to cemeteries because it is not the enjoyable place to be or things to read. But I think it is good to remind ourselves of the weight of death to sharpen our compassion for those who have lost loved ones and also remind us of the good we have in our lives. Someone once said "how can we know what true happiness is unless we understand the opposite". I don't know if I agree completely with that but I do know that you are far more grateful for things when you think of others hardships or something of your own that you have been through.
The day we went was on the anniversary of 9-11 which gave the field trip even more meaning. To sit and think of all the people who had died and all those who this very day are morning the loss of their loved ones. It just makes you stop in your tracks. I thought of all the children who lost parents and made me give prayers of thanks for my parents still being present in my life. I was glad I could  go and reflect on this specific day to remember what had happened nine years ago that is still effecting the lives of so many today.