Visiting the Idaho City Cemetery

We visited Charles' grave. (I hate the word grave, it is so cold, and empty.) The cemetery in Idaho City is a beautiful place, I always enjoy going there. But some of my children are no longer fond of visiting the place where Charles is buried. It is not unpleasant from the stirring up of painful memories; I think it is just disturbing for them to be standing where their daddy's dead body is buried in the dirt.

A certain daughter of mine is the most disturbed by that murky fact. She is not a fan of the place. I know she prefers to think of her daddy in happy ways -- a living in the Spirit World kind of way -- rather than his decaying body being six feet under. (This is random, but this joke was told at his Life Celebration: Why do they bury lawyers 10 feet under, instead of 6 feet under? Because deep down, they are really nice people.) Charles was an attorney, and he loved all kinds of good jokes. He was the best at dragging out the story, to an exciting punchline.

My kids are so morbid, they brought up how his body would look right now. I told them they were gross, and that I believe because daddy was so good and righteous, his body is likely no longer there, so they do not need to even worry about it. (Look, if you want to go dig in the dirt to prove me wrong, you've got problems.) 

We also discussed the beautiful truth of the Resurrection, when Jesus returns. Charles' spirit and body will be reunited in perfect form. Do you know how we all dream of that glorious day? Some people might just believe it, or preach it in a nice lesson tied up in a gospel bow; but for us, the return of Jesus is everything. To see Charles again, now that will be the BEST DAY EVER! I am not saying I wish that the world would end or anything. I'm just saying I would not be disappointed if the process were expedited a little bit. From what I have learned, the Return of the Savior will be beyond any words I have to describe it.

So, we had a nice drive out to Idaho City. It was a beautiful time to head out there, around 6 o'clock. We had the windows rolled down the whole time, and the kids were screaming and singing at the top of their lungs in pure glee. There is just something about having the wind blowing in your face that is exhilarating. Zoie came along for the ride in her kennel, and she did really fantastic there and back without any troubles.

I had a Pandora station playing through the car speakers, but it cut out pretty quickly into the 45 minute drive. It kicked in again as we drove into the Idaho City streets, and the song that played was "Misty Mountains" from The Hobbit. It made us all laugh in amazement because it was a favorite of Charles'. He loved to sing the low part, and he was a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series. It was the perfect song in that moment, as we approached the cemetery, where the music cut out again.

 The sign to the cemetery.

We got there and it was beautiful. But we did not stay long, because the mosquitos were Alaskan-style bad. It was painful to just stand there for a second. So, we had to get the heck out and quick! (Sammi's prayer was answered!) It is not normally so bug-ridden, but the moisture this year is going to cause some bug problems.

 We took a few quick pictures, and spent a total of 5 minutes there at the gravesite.

 The light was shining right on our family picture.

I wondered what Henry would think about being there. He noticed the pictures of daddy, and our family. We have that same family picture hanging in my room. I did not explain to him what was under the dirt. I don't think he would quite understand, yet. If you ask Henry where his daddy is, he will tell you, "He is dead. He is with Jesus." But really, he has no idea what that means.

 Despite the blood-sucking mosquitos, it was still beautiful.

 Heading back to the car.

 It really is an amazing place: beautiful, charming, and rustic; just like Charles.

The sun through the trees... if I wasn't being eaten alive, I would have pulled out my good camera and gone to town on pictures. My iPhone was all I was willing to spend time snapping shots with.

 Read the sign, it's the best!

 The road to the cemetery.

 A weird building in Idaho City.

We stopped at the Idaho City school park to play for bit. The bugs were not so bad out of the trees and in the sun.

 Zoie was happy to get out and play.

 Sammi was better once we left the place she hates.

 It was a really pleasant evening.

 Playing in the field.

 Enjoying the Sabbath with my family.

 Zoie is learning to fly. She just needs a magic feather and she would be off!

 This picture turned out weird... I did not photoshop it, it just turned out that way.

 Packing Zoie back in the van.

The streets of the city. Charles loved visiting this place. We used to take Sunday night drives to Idaho City, and we would enjoy deep conversations about life-changing things. Now, instead of sitting in the passenger seat enjoying the love of my life, and his tantalizing conversation, I am in the driver's seat, having deep conversations mostly in my head. (And with my children too, when their heads weren't hanging out the windows.) The change, I will admit, is not a desirable one. Charles was such a beautiful part of all our lives. His physical absence is a void for each of us. We continue on and always will... but the separation grows harder still. (It has been more than 3 years now.)

 The drive home was as the sky was growing darker. It was the perfect time of night, really.

 The approach back into the city.

 The sun was aflame as it kissed the horizon goodnight.

The end to our Sabbath day drive was perfect and Heavenly. And even though my emotions were all over the place on the journey (I was feeling so exhausted the entire time, physically and emotionally), I still found time to see the good in the world, the beauty that God has blessed us with, and I could feel the Savior's love for me and my family.

For that, I am so very grateful.

For more about why we chose the Idaho City Cemetery click: HERE 

For another post about the cemetery click: HERE