Cemetery Tourism - Adventure or Genealogy?

I'm always surprised when I come across another person that loves cemeteries as much as I do. I'm also equally surprised to find out why.

There seems to be two prominent answers:

• Adventure
• Genealogy

People seeking adventure are spread all over the place from a love of scary movies to history buffs to seeking/hunting interesting things (i.e. famous graves, Letterboxing, Scavenger Hunting). Genealogists are forever in search of that one lost relative who ties everything together.

There are other much less popular reasons. Some enjoy the peace and tranquility that cemeteries bring. There are a number of folks who walk their dogs together or take a run during the morning light before work. Others, like me, simply tear-up at the sight of so much love.

Yes, there is sadness. I've come across many a mourner, probably either the widow or widower, standing at a site just chatting with their loved one. I give them a good deal of space so I don't intrude on their private moment, but I still feel their grief even from afar. It's held in their shoulders and the way they hold their heads. I sometimes want to let them know that it's okay and not to rush just because they are not alone in the cemetery. I don't, of course. I just let them continue in their solitary cocoon of grief.

I wish I could tell them that cemeteries are for the living. They are special places set aside where you can go and recharge your memory of someone who passed. This is their final resting place. Their memories will remain there until their gravestone or monument disintegrates. This will take many years. Probably more years than you have left on this earth. Leaving clues for the Genealogists to find later and wonder...

Who was this person and how were they loved?