Blest

Our father has gone to a

mansion of rest

to the glorious land

by a deity blest.

These are the words we found this weekend etched on my great grandfather's headstone.  I believe this poem was a common one inscribed on tombstones in the 1800's.  It took us a long time to read the inscription because of the age of the stone, the lichen growing on the stone, and the shallow depth of the engraving.  We used a technique discovered at a visit to the Jeffers Petroglyphs.  We held a cell phone flashlight at a sharp angle.  When the light is shined across the letters it brings out more depth of the etching.  So there lies my great grandfather and great grandmother, only one row over from my grandfather and grandmother.  I estimate 10 feet between the headstones.  So he is 10 feet from his son and probably 4500 miles from his own father and mother.  I am curious why he left his home land.  It would be so cool to sit and talk with him for just a short while.