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"Everybody Has a Story" - - by Rev. Weldon Bares


The British Garrison Cemetery in Kandy, Sri Lanka is most interesting to visit. It was finished in 1817 as the final resting place for deceased British colonialists in Sri Lanka.

The cemetery is old and beautiful, with monkeys lurking around. The caretaker for the cemetery, picture above, has been doing his job there for nineteen years. He showed my brother and me around, pointing out interesting tombs.

He showed us the grave of a man who had fought at the Battle of Waterloo. He pointed to another tomb and said, “She was the daughter of the governor of the island.” A child was buried in a certain spot. A young man who died from cholera in another. Here was the grave of a man who died in an accident, supervising work on clearing the jungle.

He led us to another grave, of a 69-year-old woman who had traveled to Ceylon to visit her son, who was stationed there in the British military. She died during the visit, and was buried in the cemetery.

The caretaker seemed to know the story behind every tomb. We were really amazed at his knowledge.

You know, everybody has a story. Even those in the graveyard. Each story is unique because God made us all different.

I just wonder, what is your story? What will be said about us after we are gone?

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