Life in Death

I went on a walk today, it was so relaxing!  I thought of a fun photography project and decided that taking my camera on a walk was the perfect way to start it off. I decided to just wander around new town and found some really gorgeous doorways and garages (I know that sounds weird, but trust me they were old and beautiful!).

I decided to go off of King Street because it had become so familiar to me.  In my travels I discovered the Camoerdown Memorial Rest Park. I thought, "amazing, a whole park just to rest" It was a really wide open space and with the sun shining perfectly it looked as if everyone laying or reading in the park was truly resting.  Little did I know that that wasn't the reasoning behind the name of the park.  On the far side of the park there was a long brick wall fully graffitied,

ever single inch of it.  I decided to wander around it to see if I could figure out why there was this massive squared off section of the park. I walked pretty much around the entire thing and finally found this gate way that led to this little locked up shut down church,

but behind the church there was a huge grave yard.  Now normally grave yards really freak me out.  Ever since my third grade teacher died the year I was in her class, I still remember going her funeral and going to the graveyard to bury her.  Ever since then they've just freaked me out, not necessarily in the zombie-ghost way, but there just seems to be something wrong with knowing that there are decaying bodies underneath the ground you walk on.  That's what freaks me out.  This yard was so different though.

First off it was ridiculously old.  I don't think anyone had been buried there in over a hundred years.  Second, it was the most natural graveyard I had ever seen.  Like most graveyards are perfectly kept, perfectly cut green grass, fresh flowers at tombstones and the such.  This one didn't have any fresh flowers (most likely because of how old it is) and it wasn't really kept at all.  There were broken tomb stones, trees that grew wildly, grass was tamed but wild in other areas and little pathways around it.

On one side of the yard you could look over the wall and see the city far off in the distance.  It just felt like I was in a mini sanctuary in the middle of such a huge city.  The beauty of the naturally growing plants and the combination of the graveyard just painted a perfect picture of life in the midst of death.

It was a tranquil peaceful walk.  I think the weather also contributed to the gorgeousness of this place.  It was the perfect fall day, the air was crisp and the sun was bright enough to warm the soul.  This little adventure has inspired me to do a little photo project with a chapter of Psalms that I've started to work on too.  Mmm mmm good :)

<actually written on friday 24/6>