Oggi Domani Sempre

Came across a gravestone of a fiercely Italian husband and wife yesterday.

A beautifully Italian name that only Italians and people who care could pronounce. I should have written it down so I could honor them properly.

Editor's note: People who turn soft C's into hard C's when attempting to pronounce Italian names, piss me off. Make some fucking effort. And that is only one small example of how the exquisitely beautiful Italian language is butchered by ignorant Americans.

What caught my eye was these words at the bottom of the gravestone: Oggi Domani Sempre. This of course caught my attention and I had to know.

I have checked out a number of translations and the concensus is "today, tomorrow, and forever." I read up a little more and I believe it is safe to infer the intended sentiment as "our love today, tomorrow and forever".

Beautiful.

Italians are emotional and sentimental, which is why I am proud of my heritage. Italians are naturally alive - just watch their hands as they talk.

Other Cemetery notes: 

1) I watched a man get out of his car yesterday with a bucket and a plant in his hands. He walked to a gravestone and poured water over it from the bucket and then washed it down thoroughly and lovingly with a cloth. He dug a hole in the earth and placed the plant firmly into it. I was close enough to hear him talking as he did this.

I was really moved. It got me thinking that burial is more intimate than cremation. You can care for this person that you love when they are in the ground. Tend to the plot, take care of the gravestone - talk to them. It is a real, physical connection.

As opposed to ashes on the mantlepiece. The only care involved there is to make sure your senile Uncle Ralph doesn't flick the ashes from his cigar into the urn.

2) I visit the graveyard on my lunch break, which means I am forced to check my watch. As I did that yesterday two things occurred to me:

A) Checking your watch in a graveyard seems a bit ironic.

B) Checking your watch in a graveyard is a bit prophetic. And a touch ominous.