"Her Works Do Follow Her"

on epitaphs, legacies, and a creative prompt to write your own

“What you leave is the silent effect of your song.” How beautiful. I looked Lilla May up and am hoping to track down some of her poetry. I want to hear her song. I read that she didn’t want her poems widely published but she wrote over 800 poems.

The air was crisp. The breeze made the dried leaves float down, landing at my feet just in time to walk over them with a hearty crunch. The sun’s rays shining through the trees gave an illusion of causing the canopies to be set ablaze in bright orange and crimson hues. It was a perfect day to walk through the Historic Oakwood Cemetery on my artist’s date¹.

I had no path to follow, no map to guide me. I simply walked where my curiosity and the Holy Spirit guided me. Taking a small gravel road, not meant to be a main footpath for walking through the cemetery, I came upon the loveliest stone steps planted into the earth in their delicious non-conformed manner. My eyes followed the steps up to the top of the hill where a cross stood from a tombstone in the distance. I felt chills on my arm and looked down to confirm they were there. Reaching for my phone in an attempt to capture this sacred sight, I breathed in and gave thanks to the Lord for this moment. Through my exhale I thought I heard in my heart, ‘You are welcome, my beloved. Enjoy this gift.”

There is a poem here…the path leading to the cross…I’m praying for the words to put to it.

Her Works Do Follow Her

At the top of the hill, one of the largest and most impressive tombstones took my breath away. I stood, feeling small, in front of it and took in the masterpiece that it was. The patina on the angels created shades of copper, and brown and greens that begged to be touched. The precision, detail, and magnificence of the sculptures were awe-inspiring. I slowly read the words aloud, wishing to soak in their beauty. I felt tears emerge. The words were beautiful, yes, but the beauty of another person writing this epitaph about someone they loved so dearly, how their words captured the heart of this woman I’d never met but I knew she was the most precious sister in Christ, truly shook me. She was SEEN in her life.

Lately, I’ve thought a lot about the word SEEN and KNOWN. I’m making ties with how these two words in my life are connected to the word REST. And with that, the opposite is true…feeling unSEEN, feeling unKNOWN, leads to unREST. More on that later. But, this woman and her servant’s heart were seen and captured in this lovely epitaph.

“ A magnificent and wonderful woman of noble deeds and high attainment, a devoted Christian, trusting in God’s goodness and mercy, whose life was dedicated to untiring service to humanity.

Her memory will endure as a priceless heritage.

Patient, cheerful, and unselfish. A faithful, true, and admirable friend, a loving companion. A lover of her country, courageous and unafraid, through her did all my achievements come, to God I owe all.

Placing my trust in God, I wait, setting my face to the dawn of that new day when the shadows will lift and we shall be again united.”

- Franklin S. Prikryl

“To The Glory of God. And in loving memory of our dearly beloved neighbor, sister, worthy lecturer, matron, leader, teacher, and organizer…To Know Her Was To Love Her.

A devoted, lovable, Christian woman of honor and character, of wonderful personality, a lover of children, a tireless worker for child welfare, a friend of all birds and animals, a lover of flowers and all the beauties of nature, full of undying courage and civic progressiveness, who so unselfishly gave of her time, health, strength, and labor, whose high ideals, love, cheerful smile, kindness, untiring service to all made our community a better place in which to live.

She was worthy lecturer of Frenchtown Grange No. 749, organizer and matron of the First Juvenile Grange in Monroe County, organizer of the first Boys and Girls 4-H Clubs in Monroe County, organizer and leader of the first Ladies’ Home Economics Club of Frenchtown, Active in all constructive and progressive undertakings, her charming hospitality made her home a meeting place for old and young, for fathers and mothers and a playground for all children…

Her Works Do Follow Her.”

Simply amazing. I look forward to meeting Ouida Estelle Emery Hood in heaven as I’m sure she’ll be organizing something up there where our paths will cross. But in the meantime, as a North Carolinian, I feel certain that I’ve been touched by something she’s responsible for, passed on through the generations. Her works do follow her.

Keeping it simple, yet profound

Among the very many detailed epitaphs, were simple and eloquent ones, too, much like the epitaph left behind for Moses,

So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the LORD’s word. - Deuteronomy 34:5

“Servant of the LORD” - everything Moses accomplished; everything Moses didn’t accomplish…through it all, he was undeniably a servant of the LORD.

Lovely. Simple, profound and lovely.

“A Poet’s Heart; An Artist’s Eye”

“Think of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven; of taking hold of a hand and finding it God’s hand; of breathing a new air and finding it celestial air; of feeling invigorated and finding it immortality; of passing from storm and tempest to an unbroken calm; of waking up and finding it home.”

That poem also shook me. Simple, yet so incredibly powerful.

Personal Touches

Tucked into a shaded nook with towering trees encompassing a family plot were three erect tombstones and a bench situated in front of them. The bench faced the front of the tombstones with the names…there was a mother, father, and son. The back of the tombstones each had a different personal inscription. The mother had lyrics to Nat King Cole’s song, ‘Stardust’, the father had a scripture from Ecclesiastes, and the son had lyrics to Jimmy Buffet’s song, ‘Beyond the End’. The bench had Walt Whitman’s poem ‘Joy! Shipmate- Joy!’ engraved in it:

Joy! shipmate—joy!
(Pleas'd to my Soul at death I cry
Our life is closed—our life begins;
The long, long anchorage we leave,
The ship is clear at last—she leaps!
She swiftly courses from the shore;
Joy! shipmate—joy!

I bet this person was a lover of all creatures great and small.

I’m guessing the urn was designed to forever hold shells in it.

Seen / Known

I have so many words I want to say about these two words. The Lord has put them on my heart and I’m presently wrestling with them. I will soon. I promise. But for this article’s purpose, I want to include a tombstone that stopped me in my tracks, and yes, more tears emerged, perhaps because these words have been so heavy on my heart lately.

Here this unknown soldier’s tombstone was engraved with, '“Mother, I have been found, I am home.” Can we just pause for a moment to acknowledge that this is a reality for so very many mothers? Oh, my heart aches for these women who didn’t have the chance to lay their children to rest because their bodies were never found. The aches that must have caused, the holes these mothers lived with in their hearts until they were reunited in Heaven…

And then the back… “one whose name is known only to God”. Oh my, friend. Isn’t that such a comfort? We are known. We are seen. This cemetery had row after row of unknown soldiers. And each and every one of them, though their name is not engraved on their tombstone, are known by name.

The world may not see us, our family and friends may not even see us, but we can take comfort because we are seen. Our names are known by our Father who loves us.

We don’t need our names engraved on a ‘platform’ to be known, to be seen, to be loved. We don’t even need an epitaph to remind the world who we were and what we did. We don’t need bios filled with our achievements to impress the world, to make a name for ourselves. We are seen, we are known - to the depths of our hearts and souls - And, friends, that is good.

Your Turn: A Creative Prompt to Write Your Epitaph

What about you? What would you want written as your epitaph? Try writing one for yourself and remember when writing it to view yourself as your loving Creator and Father would - what would be the best parts about yourself you’d want on your tombstone? What legacy will live through your efforts, service, and from your heart (“Her works do follow her”).

Go ahead and give yourself some compliments…you’d really just be complimenting God in doing so.

Would you want it simple? Personal? Elaborate? This is simply a creative exercise and not a literal one. I know lengthy epitaphs can be expensive, but move forward with this exercise as if there were no cost.

My Epitaph (for now)

I’m sure this will be constantly changing, and though I like a detailed one, inspired by Ouida, one day it might change to a simple one. I think mine would have to include a quote of some sort (because I love quotes) or a lyric (love some good musical lyrics)…and definitely a scripture, and then maybe…

Kelly was an encourager of creativity, a poet and artist - a lover of words. She saw beauty in everyone and everything and deeply loved nature. She had eyes of mercy to see the pain in others and she always wanted to be there for them. She loved her husband deeply and they had a love that no amount of pain and trauma could rock. She was a warrior mother, always fighting for her children and their health and happiness. She was a loving and kind friend. To Kelly, Jesus was her strength, her endurance, her portion and her song. She knew and proclaimed, every good thing is from the Father. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

And, there would have to be some emojis in there, too. Maybe a 💃or a 🥳 or even ✨.

Your turn now. Go ahead. And be kind to yourself!! I’d love to hear yours if your willing to share!

A Poem to Ponder

Epitaph by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Stop, Christian passer-by!—Stop, child of God,

And read with gentle breast. Beneath this sod

A poet lies, or that which once seemed he.

O, lift one thought in prayer for S. T. C.;

That he who many a year with toil of breath

Found death in life, may here find life in death!

Mercy for praise—to be forgiven for fame

He asked, and hoped, through Christ. Do thou the same!

1. An artist date is a term coined by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. This is a time the artist invests in themselves by putting things lovely and inspiring in their view to refresh their creative souls.