Pere Lachaise, established By Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804 is the largest cemetery in Paris, France. 'Home' to over 300,000 remains, it's confines hold the earthy remnants of many noted people of history including Oscar Wilde, Molliere and Frederic Chopin among others. One I have seen however stands out from the rows and rows of ordinary tombstones and crypts.
While there on a holiday trip in the early 1980s, I took a walk through the more than 118 acres in search of this one spot. It was quite easy to find as throughout the city there were indicators pointing in it's direction in the form of spray painted arrows on the side of a building or on a park bench, or tree simply marked with the word JIM. They were all guideposts serving as a casual compass towards JIm Morrison's grave. Heading there that day not being a Morrison or even Doors fan, the draw for me wasn't some sort of celebrity pilgrimage but more of curiosity, being in this city and seeing these impromptu 'signs'.
Once I arrived I was quite surprised not to see a large, secure crypt with iron bars such as I saw on many other plots on the way in or even a large headstone honoring his short, but culturally celebrated rock and roll life. Instead what I found was a morbid party scene of people drinking and hanging out by a handmade 'headstone' covered with graffiti that was spilling onto other nearby graves. Cigarette butts, empty bottles, and trash littered the area. Clearly, entering this scene many years after his passing, I could see that his turbulent life and sad death had made an impact upon the world, but I wondered what kind? The irreverence and rebellion that was a public part of his life, also now marked his final resting place. Maybe that's the way he would have wanted it, I don't know.
I wondered then what people would say about me someday after I have left this place? What would my 'grave' be like and as I think more about it now, I ask more what will my 'memorial' or 'remembrance' be like? Would my life's story be marked with words like indifferent, self centered and rebellious or by words such as loyal, loving husband, great dad, friend......servant?
At that point certainly in time I will have little influence in what people might say or think about 'Ken', but I can have an impact on it now and I hope that at my own end....... my life and those I leave behind would have been filled with things that are uplifting and good and that at that end I would hear "well done good and faithful servant"!
