The Grave-yard Shift

   It was an interesting assignment that much is true,  but it was also in a way, an incredibly eye opening experience. As we approached the site of our next field trip thoughts flooded our minds and eventually found their way out via our mouths. What the heck are we doing here? Is this appropriate, since none of us know anyone here? What's proper cemetery etiquette? And how long should we reflect on each respective grave?

  I feel often that cemeteries can be a place of depression, and loneliness. But as we began reading each tombstone we passed I began to get this feeling of excitement for some, peculiar reason. I began thinking of the stories that we were encountering. I began seeing, in my mind, the lives that had been lived. What were these people like. Considering most of the graves we saw were from around the late 1900's, it was intriguing to feel as if I could understand the struggles they went through. This is a place were the humble were remembered with the great. In most aspects the greats were those who were humble. At least that's the way it seems to often times be. There were soldiers in many different places; some that served in WWII, and some that served in more recent wars such as the Persian Gulf War and one soldier that had died earlier this year.

   Maybe you've heard the saying, "The most important thing on your tombstone, is that dash between the dates." It's what you did while you were alive. Did you give generously? Did you not only notice the poor among you but did you do something about it? I started thinking about all these times when I could have done something. When I could have given something, even though I had so little to share. The times I should have said something but kept my mouth shut with strong effort. What are people going to say about me when I'm dead and gone? (great song by T.I. and Justin Timberlake) What's that dash going to proclaim about the way I chose to live my life?

   "Never let anyone tell you that your not old enough, that your too young, that you don't know anything." (The Apostle Paul-paraphrased) Let be your warning! There are no excuses, nothing should keep you from doing what you know is right. While we were at the cemetery, we came across the grave of a couple who had lived during the segregation period of our country. The best part of this was that this couple was African-American. The trials they must have gone trough in that time must have been unbearable at times. Those are the stories I want to hear. Those are the stories I want my life to mimic.