Matheney, West Virginia

"In cocoons, a hidden promise: Butterflies will soon be free!" Why are there so many butterflies in cemeteries? Because they are the ultimate symbol of freedom (apologies to bald eagles), just as it says on this headstone: ". . . now free as a butterfly, walking hand in hand with Jesus." Two butterflies perhaps double the freedom or perhaps just pay homage to the numeral 2, which accounts for more numbers on this headstone than any of its single-digit competitors. Palm Memorial Gardens. [2019]

Idaho Falls, Idaho

Mercator's Birthday ~ March 5: The ironic thing about a world globe is that it never allows you to see the world as a whole. You see only a hemisphere at a time. Enter Mercator: He came up with a system for displaying the round earth on flat paper, making it possible to cut and flatten the entire terrestrial surface. Rose Hill Cemetery. [2020]

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

In the Arms of Angels:  Their (but really her) epitaph reads: "Girlfriends are family we choose for ourselves." These two angels are a little different from the others we have seen in the past few days, though. One appears to be female, the other male. And, they are the first angels we have seen without hearts. Perhaps it would be better if we had an angelologist to help us with this interpretation rather than an epigrapher, since the latter specializes in deciphering writing (graphein) upon (epi) the stone. Calvary Cemetery. [2019]

Kennewick, Washington

In the Arms of Angels:  Two young souls are embraced by by two angels and backed up by an epitaph that serves as an epilogue, words (logos) spoken after or upon (epi) the end of a play. "So go and run free with the angels . . . So go and run free with the angels." Riverview Heights Cemetery. [2019]

Burrillville, Rhode Island

In the Arms of Angels:  His epitaph reads: "In the Arms of the Angels." These are the words that were left by his survivors over (epi) his tomb (taphos). Enjoy the angelic hug Michael: Enjoy it as an introduction to the posts for the rest of this week. St. Patrick's Cemetery. [2019]

Bernalillo, New Mexico

Only the Good Die Young:  Sunset came during the Advent season. While other younglings were preparing for the holiday, he was following the light of Jesus to heaven. He was only 16. He was buried in the appropriately named: Our Lady of Sorrows Cemetery. [2017]

Rapid City, South Dakota

Only the Good Die Young:  He died in 1980 when he was only 15, but flowers are still being brought to the grave. What happened to him is every parent's nightmare: loosing a son or daughter before they have even a small chance to fulfill the promises of adulthood. At least, "surely now heaven is brighter." Calvary Cemetery. [2019]

Summerville, South Carolina

Only the Good Die Young: She barely completed two decades on earth. She should have completed at least eight. You know how much her family still misses her every day. Look at the year she died and the year this picture was taken [in brackets at the end of each caption]. Someone is still decorating the grave. Maybe time doesn't heal all wounds. Summerville Cemetery. [2012]

Fort Collins, Colorado

Only the Good Die Young:  His epitaph reads: "Only the Good Die Young." The good in his heart is the subject of loving scrolls from his mother and sister, who probably also authored the one on his love for music. Play on Roger: Play on as an introduction to the posts for the rest of this week. Rest Haven Memory Gardens. [2019]

Helena, Montana

Instead of a Dash – A Turtle:  What would normally be a dash between dates is a baby sea turtle. The one in granite seems more realistic than a cartoon-inspired character. The one looking on from the sidelines seems more like a cartoon. All we really know is that during her few years on earth she developed a special bond with another member of the animal kingdom. Resurrection Cemetery. [2020]

Kennewick, Washington

Live Your Dash:  Like the dash, his life was short. Was it filled with music and travel? The axe suggests the former, but the airliner may point to something else. Shall we add a third to our list: love? Love that is already missed and forever in the hearts of those he left behind. Riverview Heights Cemetery. [2019]

Fort Collins, Colorado

Live Your Dash:  "Life is Short – Live Your Dash." Get it? If not, look at the dates of birth and death on the tombstone and see what is in between: a dash. His dash was a short sprint, but he "finished the race." The mood-setting verse from II Timothy may be the most common scripture on cemetery headstones in the country. Grandview Cemetery. [2019]

Hurricane, Utah

The Last Camping Trip ~ From Tents . . . :  We live on planet Earth, but our lives consist of many worlds. The world of camping may be one of them, as it was for this young woman, now memorialized in her mother's arms and comforted with a final salutation: "See you on the other side." Hurricane Cemetery. [2019]

Westphalia, Missouri

Unicorns on Parade:  "Love you always" reads the epitaph, and the unicorn underscores the word love. That's because the unicorn became a symbol of pure love during the medieval period, perhaps the type of love a parent has for a child, like the 12-year old buried here. She may also have played with My Little Ponies, a few which were unicorns. St. Joseph Parish Cemetery. [2015]

Zeigler, Illinois

Unicorns on Parade:  Today is National Unicorn Day, so let the parade begin with two unicorns standing sentry (saluting?) over the remains of someone's wife. She must have been a strong woman because strength is the trait which the Book of Numbers associated with the one-horned animal, which bore the name re'em in Hebrew, but which was translated as "monoceros" and then "unicorn." Zeigler Cemetery. [2015]

Liberal, Kansas

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First:
     Rivers begin in the mountains and end in the sea.
     Time begins in the mountains, and so do we.
     We flow downhill toward the shore,
     But those first few years are so much more
     Like scaling cliffs, enduring trips,
     Doing flips and suffering rips.
     Gradually though, does the river flow
     Onto the plain, where's there's much less pain.
     A straitening course for five decades full
     Of sunny days and downpours few,
     Of whirlpools here and rapids there,
     But love it all we do declare.
     And, then, the flow begins to slow;
     Those mountains seem so long ago.
     Our river, though, sustains the flow,
     But now meandering back and forth
     Until we see the delta's swarth,
     And then we know what lies ahead,
     Not alpha but a great big zed!
Written by Geographically Yours on the eve of New Year's Eve. It was a year that began in Burlington, Vermont, with a month of Zed-names and will end tomorrow in Fort Collins, Colorado, after a month of Alpha-names. Liberal Cemetery. [2018]

Cheyenne, Wyoming

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First:  Sometimes an epitaph captures perfectly not just the essence of the person but the essence of the era: "Don't call me unless it's important." He would have entered the job market in the 1950s and probably been the epitome of "the organization man," a surmise underwritten by his duds. His A-name, of course, would have been an asset as he moved up in the organization. Olivet Cemetery. [2013]

Batesburg, South Carolina

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First:  Say "Andrew's Son" real fast three times, and you will end up saying Anderson. Now, say "Andrew" fast three times, and you will end up saying Ander. Unlike names that are highly localized, the Anderson name is ubiquitous. Haven't we all known an Anderson? In the British Isles, "Andrew's son" was very common because of the popularity of St. Andrew. He brought Christianity to England, and his cross is on the UK flag, Of course, the origin may be Nordic as well, perhaps as Andersen. Amick Grove Pentecotal Church Cemetery. [2018]

Matheny, West Virginia, USA

Picture-Perfect Farmsteads:  "Gone But Not Forgotten" is one of the most common and most famous epitaphs. And, sure enough, the octogenarian farmer seems still to be around. See him on the tractor? And, so do the family cows. See them in the field? Thus ends a month of farmstead panoramas. Palm Memorial Gardens. [2019]

Odebolt, Iowa

Picture-Perfect Farmsteads:  His was a prosperous farmstead. You can tell by the number of barns and all the cribs and silos. That means he must have grown something of great value: Cracker Jacks! Well, not exactly, but here was grown most of the popcorn used to make it. Odebolt was the popcorn capital of America. The fields were in Iowa; the factories were in Chicago, and the railroad linked the two. Odebolt Cemetery. [2019]