It's been a month and six days since mom passed away, moving on from this world to cross over into what she referred to as her "new adventure". I can speak for my family when I say we all miss her graceful and loving presence and are still trying to get used to the idea that she is no longer going to be in the kitchen ready to greet us with a big hug and a smile when we visit. She was laid to rest last month outside of St. Georges in New Castle County, DE. The Reybold clan is not a large one but we've been around a long time and many of our people are buried there in St. Georges Cemetery in the older graves on the higher ground of the westernmost side. There's a beautiful large tree there near the old carriage road where my parents had a lovely (and practical) headstone bench made to mark their passing and give future visitors a place to sit. My brothers and I have plots nearby.
I took this picture on a spring day in 2014. The sky was beautiful that day and under puffy, white clouds I explored the grounds while my parents chatted with Patsy Wilson (R.I.P), an old childhood friend of my fathers who ran the cemetery. Near the road I came across the tombstones of my great-great-great-grandparents Major Philip Reybold d. 1854 and his wife Elizabeth d. 1852. These are tall, grand, obelisk-style monuments befitting the old "Peach King" and his wife. On the side of Elizabeth's weather-worn obelisk are the words, "Our mother. She taught us how to live and how to die." How they resonate with me now. My mom showed us how to live with her kind, supportive and loving nature, her dedication to her craft and her appreciation for other artists. And she showed us how to die, uncomplainingly with dignity, accepting God's plan with the same grace that characterized her life.
My perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
-Jack