Any other day I listen to music, but today I listen to a podcast.
It was a normal day in the cemetery. Everyone had their own personal project they were trying to tackle and I had mine. Usually I am down on my hands and knees, listening to Pandora Radio on full blast from the phone in my side pocket, going to work on removing the layers upon layers of ivy from the ground, but today was different. While I listened to Pandora for about an hour or so, nothing was satisfying me and I was burning through my skip limits. I thought maybe a podcast? Some of my other team members listened to them and I thought, “Heck, why not? If I don’t like it i’ll try something else.”
Back in January I had started listening to the West Ridge Church episodes, so I decided it would be great to catch up where I left off.
The morning continues on and the day is looking beautiful. Incredibly blue skies, nice cool weather, everyone is hard at work, and I’m snipping away at a grave plot border. Uncovering these borders is exciting because there is a very good chance you’ll be able to uncover a name, one that has been lost to nature for about 40 years. When I come across a name, I pay my respects, maybe try to do a quick google search of the person, and continue uncovering their plot. It was just about lunch time when I was working away at this wall that had a large exposed gravestone in it already. Next to it though, the vines were high and not going with the usual flow of the ground. So I deviate from the wall and start snipping away at the vines, making sure to heed where I step because I was working near a sunken grave. Underneath was this large concrete block. Since headstones seem to be coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes, I assumed it was just that, a headstone. As I’m clearing off the block, the cemetery caretaker comes by, sees what i’m working on and says, “there must be something big under there.” I say to him, “I think its a headstone but i’m not finding a name yet.” “Maybe its the base of one.” he replied. Sure enough, I look behind me and the vines are again moving in a way that appears as if it has grown over something. I cut back a few vines, and newly exposed are words engraved into a granite block.
Lunch comes and goes and I am eager to recover this fallen grave stone. I put my podcast on and proceed with the snipping. It starts with the base. Working up the fallen headstone, I uncover a biblical quote, the date of death, date of birth, then name. The headstone didn’t stop there so I kept uncovering. Again careful to take caution where I placed my feet, I kept snipping away at vines wondering how tall this headstone was. Suddenly, it turned while still going straight. It took but a moment to realize that this was a large cross.
There are many many cross headstones at Evergreen Cemetery, and many that have the unfortunate fate of having been vandalized or knocked over. Headstones removed from their bases or the ground is not an uncommon site.
Perhaps it was the combination of the two in play here, but I had a moment of pure sadness as I finished uncovering the cross. I began to wonder what kind of a man this person was.
What kind of life did he live?
What was his faith like?
Surely he didn’t do anything in his life to have his earthly monument end up in shambles. No one deserves to have their memory covered in vines, lying in the sunken grave of the person next to them.
As I finish up, I reach for my phone, pause the podcast I’ve been listening to, and chuckle to myself as I read the title – One Month to Live: Living the Dash.
How appropriate for a cemetery I thought. God and his timing, at it again.
Reflecting on the recent occurrence, you can’t help but think about what your dash looks like. Am I living in a way that I want to be remembered for? How will others remember me after i’m gone? How will my memory live on?
With this brief but impactful realization, I say to you this: Dont wait to live. Don’t put off your plans, your passions, your purpose. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so why not start now?
“Live out the dash instead of dashing to live.” – Pastor Brian Bloye
*The biblical quote is “Be thou faithfully unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. – Rev 2.10.”
