community
september13
10
2011
Living On a Lake in the Country: The Fishhawk Lake Cemetery
By Gayle Rich-Boxman
Some people think it’s creepy
walking through a cemetery, but I find
for our country.
This cemetery is off the beaten
track. You meander up a gravel tree-
lined road, which is also a great place
for horseback riding. I took my horse,
Summer up there and we quietly walked
through the gate into the cemetery for a
moment of shared solitude. She found
a tall monument, and we both slowly
walked up to it with her leading. She
and I stood beside it; I reading it while
she sniffed and then licked it, much
to my surprise! She obviously found
something special about that large
stone. Being part of this moment felt
very sweet and tender.
There is a huge, gracious
old tree guarding the entrance and on
another side of the cemetery stands
a grove of gorgeous alders all lined
up like soldiers watching over the
it to be an area filled with peace and
interesting bits of history scattered
throughout. In looking at Fishhawk
Cemetery, there are many monuments
and stones with names of old families
in the Birkenfeld and surrounding areas
that are still around. These keepers of
history tell of simpler times in our local
community, share the love of someone
missed and honor people who were
deeply loved. The variety of artwork in
the stone carvings and etchings made
it a pleasure to photograph. Looking at
the dates of some of them, took me back
hundreds of years. There are even two
stones side-by-side of two generations
of the same family who gave their lives
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cemetery grounds.
W a l k i n g
through a cemetery
can give you pause to
ponder your own life. It
might make you think
about those whom you
have lost, and treasure
those in your life that
you love who are still
with you. It can bring
up thoughts about the
goals you’ve set in your
life. Maybe you realize
that some of those
that were important
earlier in life aren’t so
important anymore.
Quality of life as well
as quantity of life is a
goal that can arise as a result of thinking
about others who are no longer living.
If you can approach this
with a different mindset, you might
be surprised by the emotions of awe,
calmness and love that you will
feel. After all, it’s just two worlds
interconnecting: the “passed” and the
present!
