We hear so often, typically from the man, “when I am gone, just throw me in a ditch somewhere, I won’t care, I won’t be there anyway”.  We appreciate the sentiment that the person will be in heaven and may not care.  But everyone he loves that is left behind for the moment, grieving his loss, does care very much.

The cemetery is not for the dead, it is for the living.  It is a place to visit, remember, grieve, honor, and recover.  These are crucial needs of the living, in absence of the loved one, in order to get their life back in order, in face of their loss, and go on.

Grief Counselors tell us that it is important to have somewhere separate from one’s home to go to mourn.  If mom is cremated, taken home and placed on the mantle or in the closet, every time the family sees the remains the grieving is renewed.  We often hear “I am having so much trouble getting over loosing ________”, only to learn that the family took the remains home and are trying to live with the loss without any separation from the living.   We believe is important to have somewhere separate from the home to come remember, grieve and honor the lost; yet when you drive away from the cemetery you can begin to recover from the loss that is not otherwise ‘staring you in the face’ so to speak.

Another critical reason it is important to have a specific public place to mourn, is that many others share in grieving the loved one lost.  Rare is it that there is only one griever in a loss.  There are many.  Everyone needs a dedicated place to come, when convenient to them, to do as you do; remember, grieve, honor and recover.  It is, I hate to seem so bold, inconsiderate and even selfish to deny other loved ones the opportunity and place to mourn your loved one’s passing.

At Brookland Cemetery we believe that every life is special and worthy of its sacred place in memorial for all, for all time.