And so...A new year begins...
Alrighty then, everybody! I'm sorry I haven't written in a long time...forever...actually, but I haven't been near a computer in quite some time, believe it or not, and I really didn't have much to talk about. So here's catching up about my holiday, in a nutshell.
Christmas was...shall we say...interesting. Most of the family was together, that is...those who aren't sick...or...pregnant. It was fascinating to find out who was pregnant by whom, my Great-Grandmother calling me Carol (my mother's name), and all the other oddities that is my family. Sure, we have our differences. And yes, we have our oddities...like...Captain Underpants (don't ask...seriously...don't). But, I really figured out the importance of my insane family during my trip up to see them.
I'm going to go ahead and tell you...there is NOTHING to do up in Central Illinois. Literally. Nothing. So, I decided one day that I was going to make up something to do. For Christmas this year, I received a Digital Camera, and have fallen in love with Photography again. So, I thought it'd be a fun idea to take my camera up to the local graveyard, which is a mile or so down the road. Yes...it is odd to take pictures of markers where dead people are buried...and yes...one side of my family has been known to take snapshots of themselves next to the gravestones of their dearly departed relatives. Trust me...no one I know is buried in the cemetery where I took pictures.
In any case, I borrowed our van and drove it up to the cemetery to take some pictures. If anyone has seen the winters of Central Illinois...they know just how dismal the graveyard actually looked. But for those who don't know...let me tell you...Illinois winters are UGLY! Even though we had a warm winter (it was about 30 degrees that day), there was nothing cheerful about the bare trees, empty farmland, and cloudy sky.
So, here I am alone in this graveyard, and I realize just how somber this place is. At first I only took a few casual shots, and was very careful about where I stepped...cause...let's face it...who wants to step on someones remains? After a while, I became more and more comfortable, and was able to take some really awesome shots.
It was while shooting that I came upon two small, identical graves. The stones were plain; only the carving of a marble dove was atop each one. They were both from the late 1800's to the early 1900's (I can't remember the exact year). This also is unremarkable, as many graves in the cemetery are from that time. What stunned me was the dates still barely visible on the stones. These were the graves of children. Not even children. Just babies. From what I could gather, it appears they were twins; one seems to be a stillborn, and the other died only a few months after being born.
Those stones shocked me, somehow. It was almost like a reminder of how mortal we really are. It also showed me the importance of family. Sure, my family is odd. We all have our quirks. But, they're still my family, and now matter how odd they are, I still love them, regardless.
It's odd...how such things as life and death are reminded to us at such a time as Christmas. But then again...odd things happen all the time.
Christmas was...shall we say...interesting. Most of the family was together, that is...those who aren't sick...or...pregnant. It was fascinating to find out who was pregnant by whom, my Great-Grandmother calling me Carol (my mother's name), and all the other oddities that is my family. Sure, we have our differences. And yes, we have our oddities...like...Captain Underpants (don't ask...seriously...don't). But, I really figured out the importance of my insane family during my trip up to see them.
I'm going to go ahead and tell you...there is NOTHING to do up in Central Illinois. Literally. Nothing. So, I decided one day that I was going to make up something to do. For Christmas this year, I received a Digital Camera, and have fallen in love with Photography again. So, I thought it'd be a fun idea to take my camera up to the local graveyard, which is a mile or so down the road. Yes...it is odd to take pictures of markers where dead people are buried...and yes...one side of my family has been known to take snapshots of themselves next to the gravestones of their dearly departed relatives. Trust me...no one I know is buried in the cemetery where I took pictures.
In any case, I borrowed our van and drove it up to the cemetery to take some pictures. If anyone has seen the winters of Central Illinois...they know just how dismal the graveyard actually looked. But for those who don't know...let me tell you...Illinois winters are UGLY! Even though we had a warm winter (it was about 30 degrees that day), there was nothing cheerful about the bare trees, empty farmland, and cloudy sky.
So, here I am alone in this graveyard, and I realize just how somber this place is. At first I only took a few casual shots, and was very careful about where I stepped...cause...let's face it...who wants to step on someones remains? After a while, I became more and more comfortable, and was able to take some really awesome shots.
It was while shooting that I came upon two small, identical graves. The stones were plain; only the carving of a marble dove was atop each one. They were both from the late 1800's to the early 1900's (I can't remember the exact year). This also is unremarkable, as many graves in the cemetery are from that time. What stunned me was the dates still barely visible on the stones. These were the graves of children. Not even children. Just babies. From what I could gather, it appears they were twins; one seems to be a stillborn, and the other died only a few months after being born.
Those stones shocked me, somehow. It was almost like a reminder of how mortal we really are. It also showed me the importance of family. Sure, my family is odd. We all have our quirks. But, they're still my family, and now matter how odd they are, I still love them, regardless.
It's odd...how such things as life and death are reminded to us at such a time as Christmas. But then again...odd things happen all the time.