Visiting an historic cemetery in the Great Smoky Mountains during the early spring, before the leaves have softened the curved and empty branches, feels especially potent to me.
Behind a church with plain walls, plain windows, plain pews – all in warm browns – the graveyard houses gravestones dating from the 1800s. A pair of adjacent stones announce at the bottom, simply, Mother and Father. Inscribed on Father’s tomb: “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, delighteth greatly in his commandments.” Inscribed on Mother’s tomb: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”
There’s a line from one of my favorite books/movies, Where the Lilies Bloom, that feels like this spot. Mary Call says about the resting place for her father: Oh, this is a fair place to spend eternity. The air smells like honeysuckle. The wind in the pine trees makes a joysome sound.