Nice one Hadden! Get them to leave some brambles for the living. Firecrest is terrific, we see goldcrests regularly now and they nested in our 'Cypress' last year. But they are common by comparison these days. I want to get to London to see the vast nonconformist Bunhill Fields Cemetery. Blake has been rediscovered in his common grave and has a stone now, and his wife Catherine is also to be remembered, courtesy of the Blake Society.
Throckrington church is a long bike-ride away to the south of us on the whinsill edge looking towards Hadrians Wall. William Beveridge and his wife Janet are buried there. He was the intellectual founder with his 1944 Report of our NHS in 1947 and a Welfare State based on need. The church has an inscription on the outer wall in some rare European script which I would like to revisit. The small village was abandoned sometimes round the 1830s after a cholera outbreak. I have payed respects a few times.
I live just down the street from a lovely Catholic cemetery. I've fallen out of the habit, but I used to walk there most mornings and pray for those buried there. I should start again. One of the most moving and curious things is seeing the graves of infants who reposed in the Lord decades ago that still often have fresh flowers laid there. Some of them were laid to rest so long ago that their parents couldn't still be alive, and yet they still regularly have fresh flowers. It's a beautiful reminder to me that even the briefest life, one that isn't even long enough for the individual to have "accomplished" anything in any worldly sense, still matters deeply and has an impact that can't be measured "logically".
It's a beautiful reminder to me that even the briefest life, one that isn't even long enough for the individual to have "accomplished" anything in any worldly sense, still matters deeply and has an impact that can't be measured "logically". - absolutely love this line Jen. It is such an important truth to grasp, especially in this age where everything has to be quantifiably measured to be valuable. I want to push against this modern impulse so hard as it is such a fraud. It is what I tried to argue when I wrote this:
Wonderful read. Good memories of cemeteries growing up. One old neighbor took me to one a bit out of town and showed me the grave of an uncle shot between the eyes at Bull Run for the poor judgement of peeking over the log he had taken cover behind.
The one across the street from my home served as playground, and then as place of employment as I mowed every week and trimmed the stones twice a year by hand. It now holds the earthly remains of my parents and many of the folks I knew growing up. A story to each stone.
We have an old cemetery near us - Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. We sometimes walk home from church through it. I plan to tomorrow. There are two graves that reference our church - one is dedicated to a Sunday school teacher. Can't remember the exact dates, but I think both pre WW1. Gives a good sense of perspective on who has gone before us in the faith from the same location.
And your comment on perspective is spot on. It is one of the reasons my wife and I love to visit cemeteries and spend longer than most people would reading the inscriptions.
Thank you Haden! When I teach in a new place I try to visit the cemetary to thank those who have gone before. I've also taken classes to urban cemeteries to dance with the dead. Interwoven with shrines, memories, nature and sacred care cemeteries are among the few spaces left to us where public reverence is palpable. Let's walk and dance in our cemeteries!
Nice one Hadden! Get them to leave some brambles for the living. Firecrest is terrific, we see goldcrests regularly now and they nested in our 'Cypress' last year. But they are common by comparison these days. I want to get to London to see the vast nonconformist Bunhill Fields Cemetery. Blake has been rediscovered in his common grave and has a stone now, and his wife Catherine is also to be remembered, courtesy of the Blake Society.
Throckrington church is a long bike-ride away to the south of us on the whinsill edge looking towards Hadrians Wall. William Beveridge and his wife Janet are buried there. He was the intellectual founder with his 1944 Report of our NHS in 1947 and a Welfare State based on need. The church has an inscription on the outer wall in some rare European script which I would like to revisit. The small village was abandoned sometimes round the 1830s after a cholera outbreak. I have payed respects a few times.
Yes, it would be good for them to leave some bramble, and on my last visit it looked as if they were leaving most there (thankfully!)
Lovely to hear about your local cemetery Philip, especially curious about the European Script. You never know what you will find in a cemetery!
I love visiting cemeteries. Thank you for offering this vicarious wandering in one I’ll never meet in person.
The Turner Oak is a fascinating botanical event, which I plan to read more about.
A lovely read, a reminder of how much intrigue and beauty there is in these quiet spaces.
I live just down the street from a lovely Catholic cemetery. I've fallen out of the habit, but I used to walk there most mornings and pray for those buried there. I should start again. One of the most moving and curious things is seeing the graves of infants who reposed in the Lord decades ago that still often have fresh flowers laid there. Some of them were laid to rest so long ago that their parents couldn't still be alive, and yet they still regularly have fresh flowers. It's a beautiful reminder to me that even the briefest life, one that isn't even long enough for the individual to have "accomplished" anything in any worldly sense, still matters deeply and has an impact that can't be measured "logically".
It's a beautiful reminder to me that even the briefest life, one that isn't even long enough for the individual to have "accomplished" anything in any worldly sense, still matters deeply and has an impact that can't be measured "logically". - absolutely love this line Jen. It is such an important truth to grasp, especially in this age where everything has to be quantifiably measured to be valuable. I want to push against this modern impulse so hard as it is such a fraud. It is what I tried to argue when I wrote this:
https://overthefield.substack.com/p/the-ripe-life
Wonderful read. Good memories of cemeteries growing up. One old neighbor took me to one a bit out of town and showed me the grave of an uncle shot between the eyes at Bull Run for the poor judgement of peeking over the log he had taken cover behind.
The one across the street from my home served as playground, and then as place of employment as I mowed every week and trimmed the stones twice a year by hand. It now holds the earthly remains of my parents and many of the folks I knew growing up. A story to each stone.
You should check out "Local" by Al Humphreys.
We have an old cemetery near us - Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. We sometimes walk home from church through it. I plan to tomorrow. There are two graves that reference our church - one is dedicated to a Sunday school teacher. Can't remember the exact dates, but I think both pre WW1. Gives a good sense of perspective on who has gone before us in the faith from the same location.
And your comment on perspective is spot on. It is one of the reasons my wife and I love to visit cemeteries and spend longer than most people would reading the inscriptions.
Thanks Adam, "Local" looks excellent
Thank you Haden! When I teach in a new place I try to visit the cemetary to thank those who have gone before. I've also taken classes to urban cemeteries to dance with the dead. Interwoven with shrines, memories, nature and sacred care cemeteries are among the few spaces left to us where public reverence is palpable. Let's walk and dance in our cemeteries!