Graver's Journal

Shanna Riley March 24th, 2007

The final resting place of Salvdor Genusa is marked by a crude hunk of concrete - his name and death date roughly carved into the broken slab by hand.

While Salvdor's grave marker certainly isn't pretty or even grand any way you cut it, it's still quite remarkable for all its hand-carved simplicity. Someone cared about this man enough to mark his final resting piece...perhaps in the only way they could afford. Someone did not want Salvdor Genusa to be forgotten or his grave to be lost.

This rough-hewn stone was placed with great love so that someone cherished would not be forgotten.

In many of my cemetery travels I see unmarked graves, broken wooden crosses, and chipped and tarnished stones that are no longer legible. Who is buried there is anyone's guess...and many old cemetery records are not completely accurate.

When someone takes the time to put something on a grave to mark its occupant, it is a beautiful tribute. Perhaps even more so when the marker is crude and rough, or obviously homemade. It shows that the person remembering a loved one or long-gone family member might not have been able to afford a "proper marker"; yet they put their own hands towards making something - anything - so that the deceased would be remembered. It's truly touching to see.

Salvdor Genusa may not have the fanciest marker in the cemetery, but he was loved just the same - or maybe even more - than those that do.

• The Dead
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