I hear ya, Fred. I guess when these cemeteries see dollar signs floating away unless they make room they forget that these were people with families who loved them, who lived lives that made the way for better lives for us but then it really isn't surprising how we treat the dead when you look at how some people treat the living. It's heart-breaking.

up here in ND some jerks wet aroud stealing th metal star holders of the veterans... luckily for us my dad and granfathers wasent one of them... but the disrespect of it all effects everyone... my family actually my great great grandparents donated the land for the cemetary they and my self will be buried in... and they recently expanded it so hopefully there is room for all except "greed"... but it is a church board that owns /oversees the land now and no one "profits" in fact i believe a plot cost 50.00 for real... and then families donate every year for upkeep and so far it all gets taken care of ... Stavanger Lutheran ( norwegian - don't ya know) cemetary... yup really not much to talk about thank goodness... nancyl

Nancy that is exactly how this cemetery works! The land all around belonged to my mother's parents and her father was a preacher and so was his dad! We all as my mom's kids was named on the land deeds so we all still have some ownership in writing and filed in the court records! The cemetery is fenced in with a small church right next to it where her father was pastor until his death! My mom is laid to rest just in the next row from her father and mom in the town of Navasota Texas about 105 miles from me in Killeen!

My brother just ahead of me turned out to be a preacher as the last one in my family tree! He's in California and will be laid to rest there I'm sure according to his children and wife! A lady living across the street from the church is the overseer of the properties! I'm not aware of how it works but I keep in touch with the man that keep the grass cut who lives close by! Many of the people in graves there were born in late 1800 and early 1900 like my mom!

"Those who care, care much, those who don't care care nothing at all" was the saying of one of my Mum's aunts. When my Mum passes she will be buried with DaD in a small cemetery about ten minutes from where I live. Mum was an only child so I will take a trip to England and place flowers on her Mum's grave there. It is in a small cemetery behind a village school but one of my Mum's cousins paced it out for me in 1998 so I know where to put those flowers.

Fred, every blog you write is worth reading and thought prevoking. And not all preachers use a pulpit.

Sue.

amazing.... fred we created a discussion out of dirt... albeit sacred ground ....... but it was has been a good discussion.

Thanks again for the comments we got there and back and the headstone was still in place but my mom is in the sandy part of the cemetery and when it rains the sand washes down hill sorta and that makes the headstones lean to the side the sand has been washed away!