HAVING THE LAST WORD

A Reflection On Visiting Cemeteries
A Recent Visit 

I like to visit cemeteries. I don't believe it is some kind of weird fascination with death as much as a fascination with life. I believe cemeteries can teach us a lot about the people we never got a chance to meet. Their tombstones give us a glimpse, not only into their sometimes humorous pesonalities, but also sometimes into some of the burdens they had to bear in life.  

The burden of weird first names.

This woman has an interesting middle name. She must have been very "spirited." 





This person obviously hated to go off and leave his favorite dog.



This person was obviously proud of his balanced life. 





This man was obviously proud of his work record. 




This person had a good heart for others.







Behold! My own burial plot - between the Immaculate Conception and Father Felix Johnson.
I am not sure what to put on my tombstone yet. Since I will be buried next to Father Felix Johnson, my childhood pastor, I am thinking about putting his last words to me when I left for the seminary in 1958.
"You won't last till Christmas!