For a long time, I was never a fan of cemeteries. Too depressing, all those dead people.

Until I spent an afternoon with my husband’s grandmother as she placed flowers on graves during Memorial Day. I listened to her stories and realized how much history a cemetery contains. Without them, we would soon forget the lives those tombstones represent.

What I also appreciate are the inscriptions, and sometimes the items people leave. In this case a handful of small tomatoes. I don’t know the reason for them, but I don’t necessarily need to. It was personal and therefore beautiful.

Note: this was taken last Sunday at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Mandan, ND.