St. Stephen's Cemetery ( Cemetery project )

St. Stephen's Cemetery located on 683  West side of Tiffany St. near
So. Main St., Attleboro , MA 02703
 behind St. Stephen's Church.

My cemetery project was based on Saint Stephen's Cemetery , I found some background information regarding to this cemetery. First, it was found in 1889, its originally French Canadian and had some Irish roots to it too . It is a private cemetery and owned by St. Stephens Church and its a Roman Catholic Church . St. Stephen's cemetery is well kept the grass is not as green , well because its fall too going into winter but i could only imagine how nice it looks in the summer   . The gravestones are very detailed and really nice also , some looked better then others .The Hebronville Manufacturing Co. gave the land for more churches and burials. The thought of going to a cemetery was not the best, at first I didn't feel comfortable , I never liked cemeteries but after looking around it became very interesting to look at the stones and conditions of the stones and learning a lot  as you walk through the cemetery . Also, It gets you thinking a lot about how much do you appreciate your life, how well do want to be remembered , if there is an after life or even how nice how do you want your grave stone to be , small personal questions being there makes you think of. I can tell by this cemetery there is  a lot of wealthy people in our community because of the gravestones . There where gravestones that you know a lot of money was put into it to make it look very nice  , the quotes also made them even better. It  taught me that it is important to keep a cemetery well kept just as a way of respecting the ones who have passed and for the family member's who still visit feel the warmth and closure to know they are resting in peace .  Makes it more of a welcoming instead of walking in a cemetery that no one really cares for . People have also said this cemetery to be HAUNTED! here is a link to explain more about it !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBNmrkMrtj8

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This gravestone  was in the baby section , It's not as well kept as other gravestones. It's confusing
to me how the baby section was not as taking care of as the grown up section. Shouldn't it be
the other way around?

The most recent one i saw was Henry's. Born  in Oct. 19 1934 and passed Jan. 9 of 2013

There is a cross in the cemetery 

A few gravestones actually had pictures of the ones who
passed away , I thought it was a great way to remember
their family members .

I took a picture of this gravestone because it was
unique and really nice .

I liked how well decorated this was and you can
tell family members had just recently
visited since it was a fall theme and i liked how its a
family gravestone .

This was the front of the gravestone
above this picture .

out of all the gravestones I enjoyed seeing this one,
friends and family members had put items that he enjoyed when
he was still alive and spoke a lot about his character
and how he is well remembered and well known by a lot of people

I took a picture of this gravestone because it just
had a name without  any dates which i thought was interesting

there was a lot of in-ground gravestones mostly resembling people
who passes away in war world 11 and there was quit a few . The one next
didn't tell you the year just his aged that he passed away .

This gravestone was upsetting to see. This little boy
was only 5 years of age when he passed away.

"those who live in the hearts of the living do not die"
I liked seeing the different sayings , quotes some of the individual
stone had it was very touching 

This one was really creepy to me , it said
"Unknown Union Soldier" with just an american
flag but the stone was not well kept at all ,obviously .
I thought it was upsetting because i wouldn't want
to leave this world without being remembered or
recognized.

This stone was for a family but only one of the siblings passed
away , for the other two it just has the date each was born
and that's all , the two siblings are still alive and will be filled when they do
pass away . Part of me likes that its a family one but if i were to
visit i wouldn't like to see my name and know ill be there one
day...

There was a lot of soldiers in the World World 11 buried in this cemetery

There was a section for babies , this stone was right next
to his sibling , Joseph Rebelo was only a year old . The section of
the children was the most upsetting to me , just because they didn't have
a chance to enjoy life and see how
beautiful life can be  when a lot of people take their life for granted .

I liked this stone because it has a butterfly and i was told
butterflies resembled death or someones spirit
and i liked how it was placed on top of the stone. 

work cited :
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/attleboro/end-comes-for-st-stephen-s/article_d8212508-5932-5d30-98b0-27509d318c21.html
http://plymouthcolony.net/bcd/attl/index.html

What are you passionate about in this life ?

My perspective on life is on a different level . I'm that person that can go to the beach at night and just sit there, close my eyes and enjoy the breeze hitting my face , hear the ocean waves hit the shore . Its me against the world . Everything about life is so beautiful to me its like "ART " how everything has been created so beautifully . I want to grow up and have the best of everything , have a perfect relationship , have a job that i can wake up in the morning and enjoy what i love to do  , not worrying about if i have money to pay my next bill . I want to have a "MAN" who treats me like "WOMAN" treats me with respect and we can share ideas , someone who takes the very best out of you , someone who believes in you and supports you and challenges you to become a better person in life , i want a husband who dreams big and i can be that person to help him achieve his dreams .I want to be that older sister that my siblings look up to and i want them to never back down because i never did . I want to be that go to person when my family needs me and ill be right there to give a helping hand. I want to wake up every morning and know every struggle and every life experience has lead me to this moment in life. I read a quote in the syllabus given to us for our Coping with Life and Death class saying

To laugh often and love much ; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends ; to appreciate beauty ; to find the best in others ; to give of one's self ; to leave the world a bit better ; whether by a healthy child , a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation ; to know one life had breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded. 

                                             Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is what i'm passionate about , doing what ever it takes to live a happy and beautiful life, to be successful and to know i did it and had people who truly care for me help be where i want to be .

I always procrastinate I've been that person for a long time and college has taught me to change my ways because it just holds me back and never get nothing done . I feel like i need to disconnect myself from the world , i'm such a social butterfly and everything and anything can distract me . I'm teaching myself to always do things on time and be responsible with anything i do. I'm just trying to be on top of  anything that will bring me closer to my dream. My dad told me " Now that your doing good , the devil will try to bring you down ten times harder" . 

I will continue growing as a person mentally and even though i'm nineteen years of age , im still learning my right from wrongs .In three months hopefully i would accomplish my first semester of college , i'm hoping i do alright at least , school has been stressful trying keep a flexible time and be on top of my school work, but this is a huge step i need to reach my goals . 

"When you can create enduring success not because you are perfect or lucky but because you have the courage to do what matters to you" (pg 2)

the six questions

Entering Coping with Life and Death class has been an amazing experience and my professor’s teaching methods are excellent. The Books that was assigned  for us to read is Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and The Sacred Art of Dying by Kenneth Kramer , the books are every inspiring and you can relate to them  and  can leave you so open minded .In the book Tuesday with Morrie I’m reading chapter 12 – 14 . Morrie starts getting sicker and sicker and I felt like I can connect to that because it horrible seeing someone who you look up to slowly pass before your eyes. I felt that way with my grandmother when we went to visit her in Guatemala. My grandmother had only a few months left to live and it was so upsetting knowing it could be your last “I love you” to someone you care about . Every smile that they give you touches you, every huge and last bit of advice you embrace it. Every moment you spend with them you appreciate every second and all the memories that you have had with that special person come back to mind you can’t make memories. The way that Mitch is with Morrie throughout the whole book just makes me think of my grandmother and I and the last few weeks  I spent with her. You look at them and think how extraordinary that person is and how much they impact your whole life.  Death is very painful, emotional and can leave you with a somewhat peaceful state of mind, knowing if that person  is suffering from an illness or just old age you know that will be all over once they are gone and they can rest in peace . This class has opened my eyes more to appreciate life, everything that my professor teaches has a very true meaning to it. Everyone has a purpose to be on earth and parents  teach you things that you need to know or not just parents people who experienced a lot help , guide you to be a better person then they are , my grandmother always gave me advise and everything she told me has been right so far. What I want to know about more in this class is other people experiences having guest speakers and learning about their stories and how they dealt . It gives you a outlook on what people think and how they face life. My greatest lost is losing all my family members that passed away but, one friends story was more upsetting to me because I  actually watching him pass away. The story was that wee went to a party in providence and went to the club with a couple of my close friends , after the club we went to an after party at the “projects” we were all having a good time people laughing drinking , just a cool vibe over all . My favorite song came on and I grabbed my friend to dance and we all started dancing in the living room, until we hear a noise that sounded like fireworks. We started laughing because we didn't know what it was .  One of our friend came in the house and started crying and it was a guy so we knew something was wrong, we rushed outside and there he was. Someone did a drive by and shot my friend in the head. It was the saddest thing, the whole vibe change tremendously. I held his head and yelled “please don’t go “. The ambulance took him, my friends and i rushed to the hospital to see if he was alright, scared to know if he was going to live or die  and after  a hours of waiting to hear about him , the doctor told us  he passed away. The feeling was so emotional and painful just seeing his family members cry and his friends cry just showed me we lost an amazing person . He will always be part of me , there is not a day goes by that i don't think  about him. He is not here physically but he will always be with me mentally.  My greatest victory I have accomplished is knowing who I am as person and what I can accomplish. Learning to have confidence and love myself, that’s the first thing you have to learn to do. I learn to follow people’s advice because sometimes they know better than you, well people who have experienced more then you have. I feel like my greatest victory would be graduating college because I could prove to myself I have potential to accomplish anything and I’ll be the first in my family to finish school that would mean a lot to me and knowing I am someone in life . I feel like I still have a lot more to face in life and then I can really answer what was my greatest victory was .

 

Tuesdays with Morrie - Chapters 9-12

In these chapters Morrie and Mitch talked very deep conversations about the world and life, feeling sorry for yourself and regrets. Mitch feel upset about seeing his old professor the way he does, he remembers him with a high spirit but now he is not the same anymore. Mitch doesn’t stop treating his old professor with respect and comfort bring him delicious food and being there for Morrie assisting him and comforting him..Mitch looks at Morrie and wonders if he feels bad for himself he decides to ask Morrie replies,

 “That at times, he does, usually in the mornings. He mourns for his body and the control that he has lost, and cries if he needs to”

Morrie is just happy he got to experience so much, he loves the little things in life. He mentioned that he is happy and lucky he is that he had the chance to tell his loved ones goodbye before he went. He felt luck and he is appreciative of the time he has left. As always, Mitch is always surprised by the responses and anything the professor says, he has such a positive mind.

              It is always good to be around positive people , just makes you appriate the good and the bad , everything happens for a reason and everyone has a time to go and the fact that Morrie is going through a upsetting time he still finds the good in every situation . Morrie says he feel “lucky” in such a depressing time of his life. I feel like we all complain about the littlest things, when things could be worse and that’s how Morrie feels he is appreciative and understanding. Morrie has the best Spirit and personality

         

  Mitch didn’t bring a cell phone so he wouldn’t get disturb he wanted to make this visit meaningful and just focus on him. When Mitch Touched Morrie he felt

  "Seeds of death inside his shriveling frame."  He he knew that the time with Morrie was limited. He wanted to make the best out of this all and Embrace every minute with him.

           One passage that I like what When morrie had the flashback of his class, when Morrie had the group up and each  student had to fall backwards and trust that the other person to catch them and they had to keep going until no one will flinch . “Morrie remembered that the girl had closed her eyes, and says that this exercise serves as a metaphor for the secret to trust in relationships; one must sometimes trust blindly, relying only on what they feel to guide them in their decision-making.”

I like this because its deep and true .Trust is a very hard thing to do and i felt like Morrie always made people learn and risk things because at the end of the day it can work out perfectly or not work out at all but everything happens for a reason and every experience is a lesson to learn from . Morrie and Mitch always had trust and Mitch always knew that Morrie was there if he needed to fall back on someone and talk whenever he needed him and same with Morrie with Mitch

Works cited :

Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Print.

Sacred Art Of Dying (5-8)

Sacred Art of dying by Kenneth Kramer talks about “What is the purpose on death? Does existence end at death? Are we re-embodied in a similar or in a different form? Is there a final judgment? And how are we to prepare for our own dying?"(pg. 1). The weird part of this all is I ask these questions or think about them a lot. What happens when I die? Is there really such thing as heaven and hell? To tell you the truth is that I do believe in heaven and hell.I believe there is life after this and I believe there is a final judgment. I believed in God all my life, but it’s not only to believe in him, it has to do with your actions and the choices you have to make here on earth. I could say I was spiritually dead, even though I was raised in a religious family, I didn't consider myself religious.  When a person is “Religious” in my eyes, it’s someone who dedicates his whole life to god and was far from that.Even though I always believe in God it felt like I was following in the devils path instead. The world felt like hell to me, the society we live in is based on hell, people killing people, people getting raped and there is still racism in the world, war, violation of drugs that takes over our whole life and becomes are main focus, or even people not knowing their own worth, women sleeping with men like if that's what they were born to do.  Men sleeping with variety of women like they didn't come out of one and have no respect. Freedom? Where is freedom? I felt like I was in a dark hole and no light shining my way. I would always feel lost and felt like there was no way out "A kind of emotional death” like Morrie says,

"Where the feelings were blunted and it was easy to cease caring about being alive" (pg. 19)

 I was depressed crying myself to sleep and nobody would know because I wouldn't show it, I felt like I was wearing a mask so nobody would know what I was really hiding. Parties I loved them, alcohol and weed would take me out of reality. Every time I got high I would feel week and felt like the devil was taking over me, the way I looked at people became different, full of anger. Yes I’m 19, but I have questions, I think too much and I want to know answers. Everyone has their own experiences on life and we either learn from them or continue the path we are in .I wanted to be different, I was done following the crowd. I knew I was better than this. Who am I? I asked myself, a drunk? A pothead? Or person that is going nowhere in life. I asked god to help me and that's exactly what he did.  I put my life in god’s hands and I trust him. I’m free finally from everything I that was bringing me down.  I had so many questions and lately I have had them answered in a different ways.I read this book called 23 minutes in hell by Bill Wiese. Bill actually had the opportunity to experience life in hell and God allowed for him to come back to earth and he became a preacher to help millions  Bill said,

A picture of Billl Wiese
photo: google 

"One of the worst sensations I experienced was an insatiable thirst and dryness. I was so extremely thirsty. My mouth was so dry it felt as if I had been running through the desert for days. There was no water, no humidity in the air, no water anywhere. I desperately longed for just one drop of water, like the man in torment in Luke 16:23, just one drop of water would have been so precious to me “(pg. 1) There was no work, no goals, no wisdom, and no opportunity to speak to anyone or to solve any problem. No need to offer advice, help, or comfort of any kind " (pg. 23).

A few months later I entered my class coping with life and death and had to read The Sacred Art of drying and read the story of Betty Maltz as she had also experienced the afterlife but hers was completely opposite. Betty said,  

A picture of Betty Waltz
photo: google 

"I was climbing a velvet green hill, where each blade of grass was vibrantly alive. The climb was effortless." “I looked up and saw, dancing like dust particles in the sunbeam, two- inch ivory letters. They were Jesus words from john 11:25: I' am the resurrection and the life." I reached up and touch each word that I saw in the sunbeam. When I touched the warmth and healing entered my body and filled me with life" (pg. 12). 




 and for myself i am doing much better, I am at peace and see life, my life different.  I’m choosing the right path. Who am I? I am not a drunk nor a pothead and I am going somewhere in life despite the struggles and fears that will pass my way in life, I know I am not alone through this journey. In the Novel Tuesdays with 

Morrie, Morrie said,

"He taught about the meaning of life and it was taught by experience" (pg. 6)

Just how everyone speaks on what they went through I have no shame speaking on what I went through. It might help someone out, because that's exactly what other people experiences did  to me. Life is a gift but heaven is a blessing and if I can be bad why can’t I be good? I shall be good because I’m done being bad.

Tuesday's with Morrie (4 Chapeters)

In the novel Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom, spoke about an old professor and his experience on life, whose views in life were so much different than others. Morrie was a much opened minded professor, with affectionate spirit. He believed everything in life had a meaning and a purpose and left us an understanding of

 “Life’s greatest lesson"

As he had referred to it. As Morrie's main formal student, Mitch Albom said,

"He taught about the meaning of life and it was taught by experience" (pg. 6).

In this novel what really inspired me is how he breaks everything down to a question and the choices he 

makes to  answers his questions  for example, as he said to himself ,

"Do I wither up and disappear, or do I make the best if my time left” (pg14).

Morrie talked about life in a whole  different way  that can open your eyes to a whole new different perspective , making everything meaningful and life Changing .We all  know about death it happen to all of us , young old , rich , poor but what was are purpose of us being here  ? In our new generation, we let society overcome and take over our life’s, coming from music, partying, and everything that has told us we only live once why not do it do it? Or "we are going to die anyway”. We didn't get put on this earth to just constantly party, there's so much more to life. It’s never too late to change your life and see how truly beautiful life can be. Enjoy it the right way. What is the right way? Learning to know are own worth , being appreciative with  every second that is given to us  , having a Reminder that we only have a certain time length  to do what we have to do , tomorrow is never promised , Leave behind a good lesson for others to learn on . Morrie , instead of giving up after he found out about his illness , he stayed  content,  continued doing the things he enjoyed to do "teaching” . Mitch wrote  

"My old professor, meanwhile, was stunned by the normalcy of the day around him. Shouldn't the world stop, don’t they know what has happened to me?" " but the word didn't stop , it took no notice at all ,  as Morrie pulled weakly on the car door, he felt as if he were dropping into a hole " "know what?  "(pg12)

        

Now we are taking our time to learn about him and his journey and he became an inspiration and great teacher not just to Mitch but to almost all the readers that have picked up this book.

Works Cited :
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Print.

Autobigraphy

Hey there ! 
I'm 19 years of age, i still have a full life ahead of me but the seconds are still counting down . I'm enjoying my life as much as possible . I attend Bristol Community College, full time , taking my general studies for two years then hopefully getting transferred. I want to continue dental hygiene but if run into something i enjoy more i will do my best to accomplish it .The three top things on my bucket list  if i ever win the lottery is one : take  my mother to Italy and travel in general. My second one is  help my family out what ever they need , i got them . My third : to open a business of some kind so i can fall into that when i don't have anymore lottery money.My experiences in life have made me more mature the way i look at life is so much different . Life is a beautiful gift and i learned to enjoy it the right way . Having faith has help me to finally be on the right path and i am moving forward with my life without looking back. I know what i'm worth and i know i have the potential it takes to accomplish my life goals i have set for myself. I see a bright future ahead of me .