Final Reflection

It has been quite journey learning about Spring Grove, but I must say it has transformed on some small level. It has made me think about things in a way I never thought I could. I have always had such a bad perspective on cemeteries. In the last ten years I have had four people very close to me die. Having to go to cemeteries for that reason alone can really make a person hate going even if its to visit the grave of a loved one. It seems like the more I visit my deceased loved ones at the grave site the sadder I become because I am thinking about how much I miss them and all the sad things associated with losing someone close. Spring Grove has really inspired me to look beyond death and see the beauty of a resting place. To be buried in a cemetery is one thing, but to be buried in a place surrounded by beautiful luscious plant life and a lake that reflects its environment doesn’t sound to eerie or sad.
Being in Spring Grove taught me something different each week. I learned so much about what these people and their families are trying to relay to us. Whether it was the huge Dexter standing tall and confident across the lake, or the small headstone that said “Gone Fishin..” I still left inspired. The time I have spent doing reflections on these class days have been full of effortful thinking about how I felt that week. Who would have ever thought I would have enjoyed spending three hours in a cemetery every week. The huge monuments and mausoleums and crypts all seemed so intriguing to me…like an untold or unfinished story. It made me think…what do I want my monument’s story to tell…what will people think of me. I have formed my own opinions about these people buried at Spring Grove, but I will never truly know their personality, their character, or their thoughts on life.
What is a cemetery? I think it is a place of rest for the living and the dead. It is a place of reflection on life. Why is a cemetery? A cemetery is because of culture. It is because we have to have closure in some manner over what happens to our loved ones. It is because we might forget to honor and acknowledge those who have passed on unless there is a place to remember them.
Our society teaches us to respect the dead, but we see many cemeteries in ruins locally. The family has passed and now what are we to do with all of these people and their stories. I learned a lot this term about why it is and not just how or what. It really helped to split the topics up into very specific bits of information about iconography, plant life, and burial customs. It was not every week I had something philosophical to reflect on, but some weeks like the one we took the class over to the memorial mausoleum. That particular class still has me thinking about being put under ground or being cremated, and I never thought I would be thinking of being cremated. The stories in stone book helped me better understand the lives and stories of the people buried at Spring Grove and the book “A Fine and Private Place” helped the mysteries of the unseen come to life. We received concrete teaching about the things one can see, touch, and hear. We also were subconsciously reflecting personally about what we saw and how it made us feel. This class was an awesome experience. It has changed my outlook on all cemeteries and I think anyone who looks at them like I did needs to experience Spring Grove. Being around that much history and beauty and associating it with a cemetery was more than therapeutic it was spiritually awakening.