Looks are often deceiving

Gone are the days where people could speak "cemetery." People used to put great thought and a lot of time into choosing a grave marker. Take John W. Rock (he is buried in one of my favorite cemeteries Sacramento Old City Cemetery). Many people today would look at this marker and think "a Calvary guy", but looks are deceiving!

By looking at this brave man on his horse I know that he was wounded in battle, but did not die from his injuries. (The horse has one leg raised, as opposed to two, which means killed in battle).

Everything on a tombstone means something...from the flowers to the ornaments. Today people put basic information (name, dob, dod, title). I wish people would go back to telling the story of the persons life through pictures and sculptures. Tombstones were once a celebration of life, and today, they are simply a cliff note.

Thanks for reading!