The Grass

Cemeteries seem to have a life cycle of their own. This is something that I never realized until a cemetery became a part of our life. Within the last 14 months, I have noticed how the cemetery changes with the seasons and with each new burial.

It's very obvious when someone new has been buried. There is a large rectangle of dirt and usually fresh flowers placed on top. Within a week or two, the flowers disappear, and a temporary grave marker shows up in their place. The dirt starts to settle, and eventually sod and a headstone will be placed on the rectangular patch of dirt. Even though the sod is added, it is still very obvious that the site is still new. The rectangle is still visible, reminding you that your loved one is below. The sod is either very green and lush, or it is dried out due to a lack of rain. For the first year, you can still see that rectangle.

During the winter months, Macie's sod stayed green while the grass around it went dormant. It was still obvious where her grave was dug. Well this week, I went to the cemetery to see the landscape stones and the flowers that my mother had planted. What I saw took me by surprise. It wasn't the beautiful arrangement in front of the headstone that shocked me; it was the grass. The sod has now been established, and the native species have moved in and mixed with the new grass. The result is a plot of grass that is indistinguishable from the surrounding area. Her rectangle was gone. I realized how long she has been gone. There isn't a trace of the ground ever being disturbed. Macie's site has become a part of the landscape. The ground has healed from it's scars, but our hearts haven't.