Today is the anniversary of my mum’s death. I have written before about her last week and my memory of it is still fresh. It was three years ago on the stroke of midnight that she peacefully stopped living and went to her rest after a brief but very distressing illness.
I went to the local cemetery where she is buried. I was inspired to write this blog post about my visit because, far from being a sad event, it was a place of such beauty that it brought me great comfort.
The cemetery is very old, actually 150 years old! And it is huge, about 65 acres I read, and it includes a garden of remembrance for ashes. There is also a crematorium and a beautiful old building which houses two small chapels and waiting rooms. The building has Grade 11 Listed status because of its architectural and historical interest. The garden is so beautifully kept by the dedicated gardeners that at any time of year there is something colourful to see. It has ponds and a variety of shrubs and flower beds. There are also magnificent mature trees dotted around the cemetery which are home to squirrels and all sorts of birds including woodpeckers. The setting for the cemetery is exquisite with a magnificent view of the Cleeve Hills as a backdrop. A stream flows down from the hills and runs through the grounds, with Cotswold stone footbridges over it. Today the cemetery is especially beautiful as autumn is in full swing and the trees are a delight to behold.
So it is a great worry to hear on the news and read in the papers that there are financial problems at the cemetery and crematorium caused by ‘unforeseen issues’ with the reasonably new machinery at the crematorium. These issues have left the council who run the facility about a quarter of a million pounds short of their target.
As I tidied my mum’s grave I was struck by the sheer beauty of the setting and the peace and tranquillity of her final resting place. I would hope that these financial issues do not mean standards will be lowered or the workforce will be cut. They do such a magnificent job in what must be a very difficult environment. For me they manage to provide a little piece of heaven here on earth and I want to thank them and let them to know that it is a great comfort. Thank you.
I have attached some photos I took to this post but even better I found a video of the site here on YouTube.
Heavenhappens 
That is a beautiful resting place. My mom is still alive, and we have talked many times about how she wants me to scatter her ashes in beautiful places all over the world, plus a place next to my father’s grave. I also want to make sure there is a place I can visit and remember her as you do. It’s impossible to remember the people who meant the most to us in life. Thank you for sharing your experience.
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I meant to write it’s important not impossible to remember . . . Sometimes the spell checker changes things when you are not looking . 🙂
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Thanks Karen x I agree it is important to treasure people and memories. It helps if there is a place to visit.
I’m glad your mum is still with you x mums are irreplaceable x
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Thanks Morgan x I was expecting to be really down, but instead i was uplifted! That is worth such a lot.
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Beautiful 🙂
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