sweet auburn | 2020 volume ii
A Gathering Place for Those with Lives Well Lived
By Rosemary Wilson
Photo Credit : Tom Johnson
aving grown up on a pony farm , I have always felt most at home surrounded by fields and woods . But for my whole adult life I have lived in Watertown , which clearly is not
H
“ country ”! So nearby Mount Auburn Cemetery met my yearning for a country feel , even though I didn ’ t visit frequently until about 15 years ago .
Prior to the pandemic , I would enter near the greenhouse almost daily on my way to work and , after successive explorations leaving me lost , exit at Mount Auburn Street . In my work as a trusts-and-estates lawyer downtown , I have known the names of countless trust beneficiaries . At Mount Auburn , I found they popped up everywhere among the Wus , the Giacometti , the Ohanians , the O ’ Tooles , and others . Curiously , they and others I have known or heard of came alive for me by showing up with their “ name tags ”.
Not everyone “ gets ” Mount Auburn immediately . When suggesting what I thought would be a divine walk in the Cemetery to some teenaged friends , they were at first reluctant to go to a place for “ dead people .” But after exploring Mount Auburn ’ s wide vistas , snug corners , and gorgeous plantings , they realized instead it was a quiet gathering place for those with lives well lived . Even the chipmunks are fearless . My own favorite neighborhood is Willow Pond , as it provides a superb launching pad for the Great Blue Herons to soar up toward the heavens , passing over the knoll . Regrettably , the pandemic closed off this balm temporarily , but now again it is providing the quiet beauty that we all need .
I am so grateful for the Cemetery ’ s restorative environment , which supports my satisfying but sometimes stressful legal work with families planning for the future . I feel supported also in my pro bono work mentoring young people in Boston ’ s inner city and helping to excite young lawyers about aiding the less fortunate in the Suffolk Probate Court .
At the Cemetery , I have been pleased to combine my legal experience with Tom Johnson ’ s ( pictured bottom-left ) practical experience in end of life issues for our recurring panel called Keeping Life in Order . While avoiding estate planning per se , we have striven to inform people on practical issues that arise as we age . This panel is just one of the countless , increasingly online Cemetery programs helping to expand our community ’ s cultural horizons .
My participation in the Council of Visitors ( middle-left photo ) has stimulated my understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of the Cemetery with its sensitive balance of a burial space and a horticultural gem that can be shared with the public .
17