22 Days

So begins the countdown until we leave - August 17. Of course we are not absolutely certain about the house in Michigan, but assuming all goes well, August 17 is the pull out date.

I decided to spend each of these last few days writing about a place, person or something in Logan that has been part of my journey. Today - the Logan Cemetery.

I love cemeteries. I grew up playing in the one by my parents' house in Wisconsin, yes, even dancing on the headstones (sorry..not good form, but being a kid). My friend and I loved the water pump and made a whole world out of the graves in our vicinity. I know different cultures have different beliefs about cemeteries, but I've always felt they were comparable to a city park. In a folklore class in college we were told that to find out about an area's history and culture, visit a cemetery. So true.

When I came to USU for college in 1991, one of the first spots friends took me to was the Weeping Widow statue in the Logan Cemetery. We snuck over the fence at night, with our flashlights, located the statue of the widow, shined our light on her eyes and when we turned off the light, sure enough, it looked like tears had formed. My introduction into the folklore of Logan, UT.

Now I visit the cemetery when I go running. Today I ran for 40 minutes in the shade of the trees where it was relatively quiet, except for those attending a service, some other people exercising and the crew of Logan City tending to the grounds. I ended my routine with a trip to see my friend's grave - Timmy passed away May 10 and as he was a runner, I feel it's appropriate to run near his grave. A pinwheel was spinning by his grave, but it paused as I took a moment to greet my friend.

I love the size of the Logan cemetery - large, but not overbearing. I love to see the headstones that depict the local LDS culture - with images of the LDS Temple, sayings about families being eternal or yes, I believe there are some in which a man is buried with his multiple wives, to whom he was married at the same time. I like seeing the graves that represent other cultures - some in different languages, some with crosses (the cross is a symbol not used in the LDS religion) and some with images of the surrounding mountains.

I like that the cemetery is located on the Utah State University campus, near my first place of employment, The Children's House. I remember taking preschool students to the cemetery to do crayon rubbings of the grave and the little student who told me her uncle died in the cemetery. I have walked my dogs in the cemetery, strolled with my family in the cemetery and walked through the cemetery as I mended my broken heart (years and years and years ago!).

It will be interesting to visit a cemetery in Michigan and see how different the headstones are - what aspects of the local culture are represented. I hope to find one nearby where I can continue running in the shade of beautiful, large trees.