Showing Respect for the Dead
2010
We took trimmers and brooms and cans for water. We cut flowers from the garden. We explained why we were here and what we were going to do. When we finished trimming and sweeping our ancestral graves, the grandchildren began to roam around. They found other grave stones to clean. Some had dirt. Some cobwebs. They took turns with the small broom. We could hear them sounding out the names. At first glance, it is just a photograph of a child sweeping a grave stone. But, it is much more. It is a child learning respect. Learning why we visit cemeteries and why we care for the graves of our ancestors. If we repeat this event throughout their young lives, perhaps they will visit us as we rest in a cemetery. Perhaps they will bring a broom and some trimmers for the grass. Perhaps they will help our great-grandchildren to sound out our names. So, you can see that visiting cemeteries with children is an investment. It is also a long-held respectful tradition. There aren’t many of them left.