We cling to the enduring strength of stone to fight the fear of being forgotten.
So please take a moment to remember:
OUR BABY
George Miles
Son of
Samuel & Anna
M. Longstreth
Died July 21, 1883
Aged 5M. & 6D.
BRIGHT HOPES LIE BURIED HERE
Rare it would be indeed
For five lonely words
To hit harder than these.
(St. Peter's United Church of Christ, West Pikeland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania)
15 comments:
You know it's really something when the tombstones are angled like that in the ground. It's almost as if something is moving underneath. =D
Very sad one.
Tanya
I don't know what to say because those five lonely words hit hard...
You know, I'm not much for tombstones, but this one has a really nice shape to it.
Jason, a question: have many of the old stones there been reset on new foundations in recent years? By the picture, it appears this one has been.
How poetic, yet very, very tragic.
Kelly, just years and years of frost heaving the ground. ;)
Tanya, baby graves have a uniquely disturbing aura.
BeadinggalinMS, they do indeed.
Dana, you're right. It's not a customary shape.
Erik, it's possible. I do think, however, that the bases are often a different material than the stones. From ones that haven't lasted so well, I see that the bases often have metal rods which fit into the stone to hold it up. Some kind of adhesive finishes it off. When the stone and base are different materials, one may look newer than the other after a bunch of years.
Melissa, I found that epitaph incredibly honest and sad.
This stone made me think of my baby sister, Valoree, who died when she was only five months old. :( I was only three at the time, but I can remember the devastation her death brought to our family.
This is a nice picture and tribute, Jason. :)
Jeff, my condolences. I debated about posting this stone, but in end I decided that it was important. It reminds me never to take my children for granted.
I am so grateful to you, Jason, for sharing what you have seen and learned. As a mother, there is nothing I would want more than for my child's life, however brief, to be acknowledged.
"We cling to the enduring strength of stone to fight the fear of being forgotten."
Thanks to you, George is not forgotten.
"Bright hopes lie buried here"
That is tragic.
Cate, thank you for the sentiment. With the amazing expanse of the internet, I do feel like I'm giving these people something they never could of conceived.
Terri, those words blew me away when I saw them.
Eternal tragedy...
I just popped in to say hi, but these tombstones really touched me. There's nothing sadder than the death of a child.
In college, we had to act out a one act play in which a husband and wife blame each other for the death of their only child. I was the wife (obviously). I actually cried during the exercise, just from sympathizing with the poor, fictional parents.
R.J. Baker, I'm sure the pain was forever fresh to his parents.
Rachel, thanks so much for stopping by! I understand how being forced to confront the situation would be very emotional. Most of the time, we refuse to contemplate tragedies like this one. By kneeling in front of this stone, or acting out the roles as you did, the darkness of the moment can swallow you.
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