The tear that waters a grave…

When my father passed away several years ago my mother took it upon herself to visit his grave as frequently as possible. It wasn’t out of a sense of duty or obligation. Having been his constant companion for over thirty years she felt a visceral desire to continue to remain as close to his side as was now possible. And so his grave was transformed to a garden. While others planted sod my mother planted tulips and marigolds. She even had a planter box custom built in the shape of a cross. When it didn’t rain she would transport gallons of water from our home in whatever water receptacle was available: pop bottles, buckets, watering cans. Invariably, more water would fall onto the floor in the back of our car than would water the flowers at Topsoil Cemetery. She spent countless hours caring for those plants. She spent many more crying and in prayer.

The loss of a loved one is a life-changing moment. Greater though are small events that bond us to them. I found myself in a cemetery this evening searching for a grave I had never visited belonging to a person I had never met. With only a rough idea of when he had passed on I knew the chances of finding his monument stone was slim. But I felt the need to search. I passed by the bodies of hundred of souls, none of whom had any connection to me. Yet as I read their names I couldn’t help but think how each person had meant the world to someone. Like the grave of my father, each of these plots had been watered by the tears of people whose lives were forever altered by the loss.

And I was filled with peace.

All who walk this earth are filled with struggle and anxiety. Lives are shattered and rebuilt, only to crash again. Tragedy assuages us and troubles are unrelenting. But there are joyous moments, too. Marriages and first born children. Friends and laughter. A quiet night by a fire or the beauty of a smile which stuns you more than the most glorious sunset ever could. How insignificant are the falls when compared to the miracle of the human experience!?

And so I searched for the grave of a person I had never met. But his life forever changed the life of someone who has brightened my life more than the sun that shone down upon me this evening. At the end all our worries and concerns will be for naught but love will endure. From ever tear that waters a grave life will spring and blossom and the world will be changed forever.