Sacred-To-The-Memory Plaques

We don’t have these here in my little corner of the world, but I found them on the walls of some churches in Ireland. More eloquent and life affirming than obituaries, I wish we practiced the art of writing and publishing these after the death of someone we had loved.

We now know, thanks to science and the study of diseases, that Father Divine didn’t inhale “the poison of death” during this particular cholera epidemic, but rather died by drinking or eating contaminated water or food. Still, it’s apparent that he lived the dedicated life of a tireless spiritual servant and was much admired for it.

It appears that Andrew Parke, Esq. spent a good time away from his family and was sorely missed by a loving son. And even though his father returned “in the evening of his life to the bosom of his family,” the son probably still felt that death took his father too soon.

The husband of Mary Jones enjoyed a loving marriage with his wife for 46 years, and it’s poignant to see him use the word “partner” to describe their relationship in 1859.

All of these say much with few words, and the turns of phrase are lovely, skills all writers can aspire to.