But, we didn't sell ALL our land.
We still own--or stake claim to--a small spot of ground. It's too small to live on. In fact, we cannot live there. We can only use the land when we're no longer living. It's our burial plot in the incredibly beautiful Farmington City Cemetery. Currently, my folks are there, as are many many of my friends's parents. And, as time goes on, I have friends there, too.
It's a place of honor.
I'm glad it exists.
For many, a cemetery is literally a waste of space. I can understand why they think that. It's huge spaces that are only used for one thing. They require taxpayer money to keep them clean, mowed, and watered. As communities grow, more and more land is required for loved ones's final resting places. By many standards, it makes more sense to just cremate everyone.
But, I'm glad they exist. Part of our humanity is how we deal with death and honor those who have gone before. When I go to the cemetery, I remember my parents...two people who adopted three babies and raised them as their own. So much of what I am (and, by extension, what my wife and children are...) exist because of the people whose remains are buried in the earth just east of the upper road in Farmington, Utah. I suppose, I could have those same memories with their ashes on a mantel.
But, setting land aside as a monument of those people...it shows a dedication of the living for the dead. It says to society the memories of those people are worth the money, the real estate value, the water for the grass that it takes to keep up a cemetery...that honor is worth it.
Yes, we still have our little plot of land, too small for even the tiniest houses, but big enough to do the job. I'm glad it's there...both the plot and the cemetery.
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