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Thursday, May 19, 2016

Town History


Nestled next to the original town hall in Salem NH is an old graveyard. 
Most of the headstones date back to the mid 19th century, 
not a bit unusual for a New England cemetery. 


I stopped by for a short wander yesterday afternoon.
It was a beautiful day,
and I was happy for an excuse to delay my trip to the grocery store.
Centuries collided as I caught sight of my shadowy self,
armed with my ever present iPhone,
on the side of an almost 200 year old tomb stone.
The irony...


I think this is my favorite shot from my short walk.
The vibrant, green sprig of new life
caught the light
(and my eye)
against the backdrop of this fallen head stone.
I couldn't help but be struck by thoughts of the cycle of life.
How many snowy winters and leafy springs have come and gone
since this dear Anna passed?
Hundreds.
With many more to come...


There were life stories carved into a hand full of stones...


...but most just carried a name and a date and, perhaps, the mention of a relationship.


As I was heading to my car,
the gentle simplicity of this stone caught my eye
and tugged at my heart.

I do love a good wander through an old grave yard.

Just as I love a good treasure hunt.
You see, as I wandered yesterday,
I was searching for the letter K.
Why, you ask?
Well...this year I've participated in a project 365 group on Instagram.
And yesterday's prompt was "K" ~ which was harder to find than I'd imagined.
Just as I was about to give up,
at the far end of this peaceful, reverent old place,
I found the Kelly family.
Once again, the centuries collided...
...and I got to share just a bit more about my new home town
with my little Instagram world.




Joining Kim and Kat

5 comments:

  1. I love the history in our literal backyards!

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  2. as this new area comes to life, there will be so many treasures for you to discover!!!

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  3. So many untold stories. Graveyards make me so sad, but you shed such a thoughtful/respectful light on them.

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