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Stones. L1040610, with story

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Description

 Who put these stones here?  Why?

I travelled back to my former home State to attend a funeral the other day.  It was for a friend's father, not that we're not old enough for one closer to our own age.

Every day is a gift, not to waste, and as long as I was in the cemetery, I still carried my cameras with me.  On top of many of the tombstones, small rocks had been placed.  This was not a place for kids to play, and yet here were these stones, and a few toys, on so many.

This was a Jewish cemetery, and as the custom here, Jews had placed these small rocks as a sign of respect.  It told the story that there had been visitors here and they each had brought these gifts to announce their presence, while they were here, then a witness after they had gone.  A memorial of their own.  Instead of flowers, they had left stones.

Later that same day, I visited the graveyard where my mother and father, and his mother and father were placed.  I had driven to the city where I used to live, and had made an effort, if time permitted, to locate the cemetery and visit again.  It took a while to find both the cemetery and their plots, but fate was with me, as I used Google directions, finding my way in an unknown part of the city.  It was all the more significant, as by now my cell phone battery was down to 1%, even with the car charger connected.  The drain was sufficient to sustain, but not enough to add a charge.

Before I left I had prepared for this possible mission and carried in my pockets my own stones, selected just in case.  Many of the headstones here had not been visited in a long time, as this was the older community cemetery of many synagogues combined to share this hallowed ground.  I had my peace with each family member, and as our family business is three generations old, in it's 109th year, I planted a Herkimer Diamond, implanted with my business's door key, in the ground of each, a symbolic gesture of connection.  I chose to bury each stone, rather than place them on the headstones, aware they would blow off easily.  Each weighed less than one carat, 1/5th a gram.

Feel free to download, just give me photo credit.

eugene spiegel

Baby's headstone. L1040624, with story by harrietsfriend  I passed this headstone as I searched for my family's resting spots.  It repeats the story of                                                                               the stones.
Image size
1000x720px 969.95 KB
Make
LEICA
Model
D-LUX 5
Shutter Speed
1/500 second
Aperture
F/2.8
Focal Length
5 mm
ISO Speed
80
Date Taken
Mar 3, 2017, 1:58:29 PM
© 2017 - 2024 harrietsfriend
Comments6
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dumpsterfiregypsy's avatar
As with a great number of your shots i look forward to the story that follows the images.

:+fav:

As always... thanks for sharing.