Day 15: Sarah Whitaker

Day 15: Sarah Whitaker

This morning, during my 20 minutes sitting in the cemetery before work, I finally noticed a grave right next to where I always sit. I have looked a lot at two headstones that are upright - the Griggses on my left, the Franklyns on my right. I don't know why I hadn't looked down before, though I am usually  looking up and ahead, at trees and sky.

I noticed that this flat gravestone (presumably it too was once upright) is noticeably older than the two upright ones, and reading the inscription it is for Sarah Whitaker, who was born in 1848 and died in 1947. That made me think a lot - she didn't quite make her century, but what a 99 years to be alive. 1848 and 1947 hardly seem possible as part of the same life. And think of all that she lived through in that time... 1848 was the year of revolutions in Europe; 1947 as well as being just after the end of WWII was the year that India finally gained independence from the British Empire - Sarah lived through the Indian mutiny of the 1950s. The industrial revolution, two world wars, and just so much social change...and huge changes in art, music, literature. It's hard to know where to start. 

I feel privileged now to sit next to Sarah's remains and think about her life and all that she saw. The world seems so awful today, but I think it's always been awful, in terms of wars, political difficulties, making ends meet. We just know a lot more about it thanks to the internet and television. Thinking about all that happened during Sarah's lifetime is thought-provoking.

My daily sojourn in the cemetery is giving me a whole new perspective. It's wonderful.

Victoria Mier, 15 October 2024