One of the best poems I have ever read in regards to our last marker in life, is by Robert W Service. It is titled "Just Think!".
Just think! some night the stars will gleam
Upon a cold, grey stone,
And trace a name with silver beam,
And lo! 'twill be your own.
That night is speeding on to greet
Your epitaphic rhyme.
Your life is but a little beat
Within the heart of Time.
A little gain, a little pain,
A laugh, lest you may moan;
A little blame, a little fame,
A star-gleam on a stone.
Although his final resting place is in France, Robert W Service had strong ties to Edmonton, Alberta, including his mother and his brother Lt. Albert Service, and other members of his family, who once lived in Edmonton.
This poem by Robert W Service "Just Think!" really touched my heart - that one day, if we are fortunate enough that our family provides a headstone to mark our last resting place, if that is our wish, that perhaps one day - all of our efforts on this earthly plane are summarized in a single stone or grave marker. If we are fortunate, perhaps someone will notice that we once lived.

Thoughts on the red poppy and Remembrance Day - the Edmonton school programs where classrooms go out and put a poppy on a headstone on November 11, to me that shows not only respect for the folks who passed away, but also ties today to the past. Lest We Forget.

At my own father's funeral, the local Royal Canadian Legion did a "Poppy Ceremony", and a permanent poppy is engraved in brass which adorns my father's grave marker. Each year, my brother and his wife put a poppy on our parents grave. My dad never missed a November 11 memorial, and took pride in walking in the November 11 foot parade from the Legion to the Edmonton Cenotaph.
My dad was also the person who got me interested in genealogy - not knowing his own past, the little he knew when he first came to Canada as a young child being a few memories spoken in a language his own children never got to learn. He was punished in school if he spoke his first language - his native tongue. My dad and I spent a lot of time at cemeteries when I was a child - perhaps his interest and his way of showing me who we were connected to. One of his favourite pastimes was reading the Obituaries in the Edmonton Journal and local papers. Once, when I asked him why, he told me "That's were all my friends and family are!". He also went out of his way to attend funerals of friends and family - when he himself passed away, he had a large collection of funeral cards of the services he had attended in his life. My dad would have loved this website!

Reflecting on my time donated here at find a grave for the past 10 years - I am thankful for such a wonderful opportunity to enhance the stories of individual people's lives by tying their obituary, news article, or a photograph of a headstone - to the memorial page here. Headstones are a source for information, but they most often say very little about the person. If we are lucky, those that are interested in researching a persons life will have a birth and death date to go on for research. From this, we can try to connect the person to their family.

If there is one thing that I would like to see is that every single memorial here has at least one other memorial connected to it. I find that saddest headstones and memorials here are the ones that are all by themselves - no mother or father, no kin, nothing listing about the person other than just a photo of a grave. I find a deep sense of relief when I connect folks together.

Want to thank all the F A G community members whom I have sent memorial updates to, for kindly allowing my suggested edits! Especially to Alison, who has done an astonishing job of photographing headstones here in Alberta. 9 times out of 10, Alison (46917968) is the person who created the original memorial here. Such a dedicated volunteer!!

To quote Alison, an amazing, dedicated contributor to Find A Grave -"History belongs to all of us and it should be shared freely."

"I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time." — Banksy

I believe what Banksy said. When we stop saying the names of our friends and family, who are no longer with us on this earth - that's when our true death occurs. When we are all forgotten to time, perhaps this legacy of the thousands of hours of research that F A G contributors have done here will be a source of enlightenment to who we once were.

Thoughts on Obituaries - I have added a number of published obituaries and or articles which have enhanced the F A G memorials, and often clear up confusion as to when the person was born and died, their family connections, etc. I have had fabulous feedback from F A G members on how the obituaries and published articles help tell the story of the person who we are honouring here, with providing potential details of their lives.
Of note, once an obituary is published, it isn't considered privileged or private information since it is freely available to anyone who cares to pick up a newspaper and read it. Obituaries are usually written by a close member or family friend, or if the deceased has no living family, the obituary may be written by the funeral home or mortuary. A family member pays to have their departed loved one's obituary published - in the days before internet, a printed copy. The fee is paid so that EVERYONE gets a notice about the person who passed. This information, once published, is considered public domain. It is not private, nor is it "weird" to have an obituary as part of the memorial pages here on F A G, as it helps tell the story of the person's life. Obituaries are released by the family with information that the family has approved to share with the world.

Photos of headstones are great - but that's not what F A G is all about though - knowing where a person's final remains or physical memorial is located is part of the story of the person who has passed, just as are the obituary, funeral notice, a bio or article on a person life, published by a newspaper or on-line resource. Part of the death process is the public announcement of our deaths. These printed obituaries and articles are all public domain, and sources are always credited. If you should find an published obituary added to one of your family members who has a memorial here on F A G, and you want it removed for some reason, please contact me directly from the person's memorial page. Also, if you are looking for a printed obituary for one of your family members, please contact me with the person's F A G memorial page number, and I would be happy to search for it for you!

One of the best poems I have ever read in regards to our last marker in life, is by Robert W Service. It is titled "Just Think!".
Just think! some night the stars will gleam
Upon a cold, grey stone,
And trace a name with silver beam,
And lo! 'twill be your own.
That night is speeding on to greet
Your epitaphic rhyme.
Your life is but a little beat
Within the heart of Time.
A little gain, a little pain,
A laugh, lest you may moan;
A little blame, a little fame,
A star-gleam on a stone.
Although his final resting place is in France, Robert W Service had strong ties to Edmonton, Alberta, including his mother and his brother Lt. Albert Service, and other members of his family, who once lived in Edmonton.
This poem by Robert W Service "Just Think!" really touched my heart - that one day, if we are fortunate enough that our family provides a headstone to mark our last resting place, if that is our wish, that perhaps one day - all of our efforts on this earthly plane are summarized in a single stone or grave marker. If we are fortunate, perhaps someone will notice that we once lived.

Thoughts on the red poppy and Remembrance Day - the Edmonton school programs where classrooms go out and put a poppy on a headstone on November 11, to me that shows not only respect for the folks who passed away, but also ties today to the past. Lest We Forget.

At my own father's funeral, the local Royal Canadian Legion did a "Poppy Ceremony", and a permanent poppy is engraved in brass which adorns my father's grave marker. Each year, my brother and his wife put a poppy on our parents grave. My dad never missed a November 11 memorial, and took pride in walking in the November 11 foot parade from the Legion to the Edmonton Cenotaph.
My dad was also the person who got me interested in genealogy - not knowing his own past, the little he knew when he first came to Canada as a young child being a few memories spoken in a language his own children never got to learn. He was punished in school if he spoke his first language - his native tongue. My dad and I spent a lot of time at cemeteries when I was a child - perhaps his interest and his way of showing me who we were connected to. One of his favourite pastimes was reading the Obituaries in the Edmonton Journal and local papers. Once, when I asked him why, he told me "That's were all my friends and family are!". He also went out of his way to attend funerals of friends and family - when he himself passed away, he had a large collection of funeral cards of the services he had attended in his life. My dad would have loved this website!

Reflecting on my time donated here at find a grave for the past 10 years - I am thankful for such a wonderful opportunity to enhance the stories of individual people's lives by tying their obituary, news article, or a photograph of a headstone - to the memorial page here. Headstones are a source for information, but they most often say very little about the person. If we are lucky, those that are interested in researching a persons life will have a birth and death date to go on for research. From this, we can try to connect the person to their family.

If there is one thing that I would like to see is that every single memorial here has at least one other memorial connected to it. I find that saddest headstones and memorials here are the ones that are all by themselves - no mother or father, no kin, nothing listing about the person other than just a photo of a grave. I find a deep sense of relief when I connect folks together.

Want to thank all the F A G community members whom I have sent memorial updates to, for kindly allowing my suggested edits! Especially to Alison, who has done an astonishing job of photographing headstones here in Alberta. 9 times out of 10, Alison (46917968) is the person who created the original memorial here. Such a dedicated volunteer!!

To quote Alison, an amazing, dedicated contributor to Find A Grave -"History belongs to all of us and it should be shared freely."

"I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time." — Banksy

I believe what Banksy said. When we stop saying the names of our friends and family, who are no longer with us on this earth - that's when our true death occurs. When we are all forgotten to time, perhaps this legacy of the thousands of hours of research that F A G contributors have done here will be a source of enlightenment to who we once were.

Thoughts on Obituaries - I have added a number of published obituaries and or articles which have enhanced the F A G memorials, and often clear up confusion as to when the person was born and died, their family connections, etc. I have had fabulous feedback from F A G members on how the obituaries and published articles help tell the story of the person who we are honouring here, with providing potential details of their lives.
Of note, once an obituary is published, it isn't considered privileged or private information since it is freely available to anyone who cares to pick up a newspaper and read it. Obituaries are usually written by a close member or family friend, or if the deceased has no living family, the obituary may be written by the funeral home or mortuary. A family member pays to have their departed loved one's obituary published - in the days before internet, a printed copy. The fee is paid so that EVERYONE gets a notice about the person who passed. This information, once published, is considered public domain. It is not private, nor is it "weird" to have an obituary as part of the memorial pages here on F A G, as it helps tell the story of the person's life. Obituaries are released by the family with information that the family has approved to share with the world.

Photos of headstones are great - but that's not what F A G is all about though - knowing where a person's final remains or physical memorial is located is part of the story of the person who has passed, just as are the obituary, funeral notice, a bio or article on a person life, published by a newspaper or on-line resource. Part of the death process is the public announcement of our deaths. These printed obituaries and articles are all public domain, and sources are always credited. If you should find an published obituary added to one of your family members who has a memorial here on F A G, and you want it removed for some reason, please contact me directly from the person's memorial page. Also, if you are looking for a printed obituary for one of your family members, please contact me with the person's F A G memorial page number, and I would be happy to search for it for you!