Sleepy Hollow Cemetery: Part II
In addition to the famous occupants of Author's Ridge, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is also the resting place of generations of Concord residents whose names do not appear in history books, but who were treasured as mothers, fathers, children, friends.
A walk through the cemetery on a snowy winter's day offers a sweet reminder of what we mean to one another. For all of the hats we wear and identities we assume in modern life, the layout of an 18th century New England cemetery tells us to whom, in the end, we really belong. Family plots offer a single common marker with the family's name - Keyes, Alcott, Smith - with small stones nearby honoring Mother, Father and their children who died young or unmarried. No dates, no accomplishments, sometimes not even any proper names - just markers showing who you belonged to, and who you loved.
After viewing all of options in family monuments (nothing too wild; these are modest New Englanders, after all) I am convinced of this: the utter suitability of a bench as a final marker. I am not big on ornate mausoleums and monuments, but if you are going to have a physical memorial then I think the bench is a lovely idea. It's a way of being a good host even after you're gone. Would you like to rest a moment? Please, have a seat here on my bench. Sit a spell. Take a load off. Enjoy the view. Stay as long as you want. I'm not going anywhere.
