Hestia Homeschool for Young Wild Women

When the National Park Service took the land of my family for the Mammoth Cave Park, it also encompassed a family graveyard that dates back to the 1700s.  It is a lovely little spot, full of wonderful old stones covered with moss and lichens, and it is peaceful and friendly.  I fancy to think that my old kinfolk recognize me as one of their descendants as I wander from grave to grave, brushing off the autumn leaves and reading inscriptions.   I know that many tourists tramp through there every year, but I like to think that they know that I am one of their own, and that I am making sure that my daughters know where they are buried. One of my kin died in the war of 1812. Many graves are marked only by rocks.  Almost all of the graves have both headstones and footstones. The girls made a few gravestone rubbings for their 4-H geneology project, and then also gathered acorns. The forest mast is very heavy this fall.

With mortality weighing rather heavy on my shoulders right now it felt lovely and peaceful to wander in a grave yard.  Death comes to us all, and I can only hope to be laid to rest in such a beautiful spot.  Will my great grand daughters come stand at my grave someday, and wonder who I was?

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• #10 Comment from rgossett4195 
  10/22/05 11:00 AM | Permalink

  Sweetheart you will be leaving more than you know.  We as mothers always worry and fret over our leaving our babies!  You will live a long a happy life!  My childhood home is across the street from a beautiful cemetary.  As a teen I went there for some peace...now where I live now there is a small very old cemetary down the street, just as beautiful and peaceful.  Death is not to be feared my only concern is the pain of my loss to my family.  Thank you for sharing this with us!
  
  HUGS!  Rose
• #9 Comment from gabreaelinfo 
  10/21/05 11:33 PM | Permalink

  Way cool. Love the nursing pic your aura looks great there.
  
  :P
  
  
• #8 Comment from cneinhorn 
  10/21/05 11:24 PM | Permalink

  I think I saw a ghost in image #32!  I loved these photos Kas and your narration...
• #7 Comment from juliapadg 
  10/21/05 9:39 PM | Permalink

  I always get teary when I think about family things being passed down for generations and stuff like what you wrote.  How wonderful that you know where you come from.  I don't know much of anything beyond my grandparents.
• #6 Comment from deshelestraci 
  10/21/05 7:18 PM | Permalink

  I love old cemetaries.  I grew up in Massachusetts and lived very near a very old cemetary (en route to my elementary school).  I remember spending a lot of time as a child wondering about the people buried there.
  Traci