Tuesday, May 11, 2010

photos at a cemetery


many years ago my co-worker told me that he took photos of the cemetery that his father was buried in because he knew that he may not be able to visit the cemetery so often.
at the time my co-worker told me this i didn't think all that much about it either way. i didn't think it was weird yet i really didn't know what to think.
several years after my co-worker shared this , i saw photos that my family had taken of headstones in the shtetl before they left europe. it was actually kind of neat.
when my grandmother passed away nine years ago i took pictures of the headstones of my deceased relatives. surprisingly it did not seem odd. i saw the headstone of my beloved great-aunt who passed away when i was three years old. i realized that the reason i remembered her and her favorite pink housecoat bit i couldn't remember her face was because she passed away when i was so small.
being an avid photographer i wanted to take pictures of the cemetery my father was buried in but i didn't want to be disrespectful so this time i took photos with my cellphone camera. im glad i did. the day of the funeral was so beautiful. it made me think that my father must be resting in peace . my photos help me evoke this feeling as opposed to just sadness. it is indeed a brachah to be buried on a sunny day because it makes it easier for elderly friends and relatives to attend. if we believe someone can live od mayah v'esrim (until 120 yrs old) then there will surely be alot of elderly at the funeral. alas as in my poor father's case , he wasn't especially old, but there were many elderly friends and relatives who had an easier time paying their respects due to the pleasant weather.
p.s. this photo is just in the cemetery in general.

No comments: