Rest in Peace

This is probably an odd post, but one I felt like making. Recently friends of mine lost a close friend to cancer. She had known for a while she was going to die and had made appropriate arrangements. What’s interesting was the choices she made. I had heard about ‘Green‘ burials a lot in the past, but only in the sense of mocking conversations and uncomfortable quips - so when my friends asked if I would accompany them to her graveside one day recently, I was unsure what to expect. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. If ever the phrase ‘Rest in Peace’ was demonstrated, it was here. A beautiful corner of English countryside set aside as a burial ground. There was no tombstones, or oversized monuments, but simply trees which had been planted to mark the simple graves of lost loved ones, alongside a small lake and plentiful wildlife. It was peaceful, calm and an escape.

Ive always thought that when I go, I dont want people to feel they have to sit at my graveside feeling sad. I want to give those i leave behind the option of going to an area of beauty to be happy and calm, while remembering me and also having an escape from their daily lives. It would be a final gift to them and another part of the beautiful English countryside preserved and established for future generations. Everyone wins so why do we mock such things?