A nurse at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona, 60 year old Harvey Prohow, visiting the Sedona Community Cemetery while his wife was otherwise engaged at a conference, was, like me, seeking both solitude and history.
 
Harvey mirrors my own feelings when he said "Cemeteries have historical value, but they also remind you that your time here is limited." He sees a lot of death in his work and finds a certain comfort when visiting the resting places of others. "It's not morbid," he says.  "The tombstones reveal history."  Looking off down the row of graves he adds, "It gives you an idea of what's important."

Harvey noted that many of those buried here were younger when they died than he is today. He also noted that a large amount of the tombstones bear photographs of the departed, a practice he said is found mainly among Hispanic and older European cultures.

The first thing that struck me was the wide diversity of religion, faiths and philosophies represented here. Not only do you find standard crosses but also Buddhist statues, the Jewish Star of David, Shinto like constructions, representations of American Indian beliefs, and even a grave bearing the symbol of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic like order established in the 1850's that reportedly included women.

The second trend that struck me was the proliferation of war veteran graves.  I found vets from World War II , the Korean War, Vietnam and Desert Storm. It seemed to me that the Sedona Community Cemetery holds a greater percentage than is usual.

Eventually you are drawn in by this place in a very personal way. It seems those who tend to the grave sites want you to linger and spend time with their loved ones. Many of the sites incorporate a small place to sit among the personal items that have been placed around the grave. They are eclectic and beautiful, each a world unto itself. Love shines forth and begs one to stay for a moment to think upon the life and soul of the person who lies beneath.

Then there are the inscriptions. There are many intensely personal messages scattered among these grave stones. The children of a father and a mother, now interred side by side, memorialized their parents by telling us of how loving was the father and how bitter was the mother. I was stunned and moved by the message, and prayed that my own children would never find cause to remember me in such a way.

But perhaps I was most moved by the words of Si Birch, who utilized the site of his final resting place to speak to us all about his philosophy. Si's words say a lot about the sprit which dwells here in Sedona. It is a good philosophy, I think, and a good place to end and article about a place of endings:

"Today I was warmed by fires that I did not build. I drank from a well I did not dig. I sat in the shade of a tree I did not plant. Let me pause to give thanks for the effort of those who came before me, and vow that I too shall work to make the world a better place for those who follow."
 
Sedona Community Cemetery is located on Pine Drive, approximately 1 mile south of the "Y" on Route 179. The cemetery office can be reached at (928) 282-3440.

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