Visiting the Graves of Loved Ones | Crosses and Flowers

It is our tradition to visit the graves of our departed loved ones every All Soul's Day. Typically it is the first two days of November. Sadly, we did not visit them last year because of the fear of Covid. We just prayed for their souls at home instead. This year, we finally had the chance to visit their graves.

Before going to the cemetery, we bought flowers and candles in our local market. Gosh, I was so shocked that the prices of the flowers are now more expensive compared to the last few years. True, of course, will all the conflicts in the world, everyone is affected. Inflation will really kill us all. SMH.

Anyway, We bought at least 6 small baskets of flowers. Each small basket costs PHP 250 or USD 4.37 (1 USD= 57.26 PHP). For the candles, we bought them for $1.74 for a pack (15 pcs.).

We planned to go at noon time to avoid the crowd. We do not like for our dad to catch a cold or any disease because he is already old. At 4 pm, we drove to the cemetery, just ten minutes away from our house. Thankfully, just a few people at this hour.

I do not have my grandparents anymore, and so we kind of reminisced about the good old times with them. Some of our relatives too are now with our creator. We stayed for a while to say our prayers and just to be with them, spiritually.

It has been two years since the last time I visited our town's cemetery. It was also my chance to take snaps to practice my photography hobby. I found some elements peculiar as I was exploring the cemetery.

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I find these old grave crosses fascinating. The oldness and the deterioration of these structures made them beautiful. It seemed that nature took over these graves. Sometimes, finding beauty is not always the new or the fresh. We can always see beauty in whatever the state of an object or concept is. I like how the black moss (or whatever that is) covered parts of the graves. It made it more picturesque in my opinion.

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Another cross was taken over by these invasive vines called Lantana. I think there are inscriptions on the arc but it was so old that I cannot decipher what could be the message. I nearly got tripped when taking this shot because the vines were scattered in the bottom. So, I did not notice that there is a lower part of the ground, lol. It gave me a mini heart attack. But the shot is worth it. I like how the big tree is also centered as the background element of the cross.

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Flowers for the departed loved ones. I believe that these were here before us. Some of the flowers were already withered, evidently the white roses. The daises were quite fresh perhaps they stay longer that the white roses. Some people do not really give flowers as they do not believe that these will be appreciated by the souls, and it is totally okay. And also, flowers are expensive this time around. If I do not have a budget for the flowers, I will also just keep the money for something else.

It is getting dark already, and we have to get home before the sun set. We said our goodbyes to our loved ones and promised to come back again next year. It was a nice feeling for me to visit the graves again. For sure, they are happy wherever they are now and guiding us. They might not be around but they will stay forever in our hearts and mind. Forever remembered and loved.

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That is it for this blog. I will see you at the next one!
📸 All photos are owned and taken by me, otherwise credited. ©️jijisaurart