Yes I love cemeteries. No I am not crazy, morbid, dark and creepy, or just down right insane. I am a professional web and graphic designer who just happens to adore cemeteries. I find them the most peaceful place on earth. They hold stories, history, and lives that once meant something to someone somewhere. To me they are comforting.

They stand for the once living. The ones who came before us and lived lives just like you and me. They had families, jobs, hobbies, bills, they had what we all do but now they are gone...and many forgotten...and that breaks my heart.

Who were they?

What were they like?

What did they look like?

What was their personality like?

Did they have a sense of humor?

What were their hobbies and their greatest loves while living?

Who did they mean the most to?

These are the questions I ask when I roam through a cemetery. Most people have a plain headstone with their name, date of birth, date of death, and some cliche phrase like "Beloved husband, father, and brother". That doesn't tell me who they were or give me a reason to ask the above questions. But some headstones do...they are so uniquely done that it is actually a homeage paid to them and who they were.

These are the ones I love! The ones where the living made a point to show who their loved ones were and what they meant to them. They aren't just a plain person who deserved a plain phrase...for no one is....each of us is unique and have contributed our unique ripple into the universe before going home. The families who create these wonderful headstones want us know the personality and loves this person had. To me, this is the greatest gift you could give someone.

For the next few years I will be traveling around the US, visiting cemeteries, and showing you the tombstones and statues of them. I will be writing in my blog about the cemeteries I visit and posting the photos of the things that attract my attention and make me ask the above questions.

Visiting every cemetery in the US would take a lifetime in itself so I would love your photos of your local cemeteries. Your photos of unique headstones that make you ask the above questions. Visit my Submissions Page for more information.

God Bless and Happy Cemetery Hunting!

Cemetery Chick