On Easter Monday I noticed that I was more refreshed than usual. I thought that was odd since, even though I’ve been out of the corporate world about 10 years now, I still practiced “Sunday Night Let-Down”. You know what that is, somewhere around 6pm on Sunday night, you start thinking about Monday morning and all you need to do, effectively cutting your weeked short!

So, I was curious about what made the difference. Yes, Sunday was Easter and for us it was a nice relaxing day spent with a minimum of fuss with family. However, we do that a lot, so I didn’t think it was the answer. Reflecting on what I did over the weekend that was different, I realized that I had gone to 3 cemetaries to bring flowers to loved relatives.

The more I thought about the time I spent there, some of it just driving or walking around, I realized how peaceful and relaxed I felt. It is amazing to me that no matter how close to the hustle and bustle of a city the cemetary is, there is a stillness that comes over the area that is refreshing and revitalizing.

The longer I stayed at each one, the more I shifted from the loss of the loved one to a reflection of all the lives of the individuals buried there, their hopes and dreams and sadnesses. Little groupings that told stories of heartbreak: a mother and father, three stillborn markers and one son who lived until 30, pre-deceasing his parents by about 10 years; one stone for 7-year-old twins who died 8 months apart: another for a husband and wife where the husband died 2 months after the marriage and the wife lived on (apparently not remarried) for 70 years.

Strangely, this experience didn’t bring on sadness. Instead, it was an affirmation of resilience and spirit, an acknowledgement of the ebb and flow of life, a recognition that our own lives are part of a much larger picture. Visiting the graves of long-dead people, including some who’s story involved fighting in the Revolutionary War, helped me feel even more linked to God and to everything and everyone else.

The moral of the story: Even when we think there is no place that we can silence all the internal and external chatter, there is actually somewhere near at hand. Take to walking around cemetaries and find the peace you’re looking for!

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