Famous (and Not So Famous) Last Words
Maybe you’ve read the story behind the picture above. Apparently, the woman who is buried here was well known for her Christmas cookies. Her stock answer to anybody who asked for her recipe was, “Over my dead body.”
I’m not sure that the lady had this tombstone in mind when she said this, but it seems that her family “honored her wishes.” At least I guess that it could be said that they got the last laugh.
You may be familiar with other interesting inscriptions on tombstones like:
- There goes the neighborhood – comedian Rodney Dangerfield
- That’s all folks – Mel Blanc the voice of Elmer Fudd (and many other cartoon characters)
- I told you I was sick – anonymous
One of the most interesting inscriptions on a tombstone I’ve seen is in a cemetery in southeast Missouri. I was only in that cemetery once, but I still remember the story I was told about a certain inscription. In fact, I remember the story better than I remember the actual inscription.
After I had said a few words at a committal service, somebody told me that they wanted to show me something. We walked over to another grave and read the inscription on the tombstone. Along with the usual information, there was this:
Shot dead by (a person’s name)
According to my “tour guide,” there was quite a story behind that inscription. It seems that the deceased individual had been murdered. The other name on the tombstone belonged to a man who had been tried and acquitted of that murder. The dead man’s mother found an interesting way to let people know that she wasn’t pleased with that verdict and wanted to “set the record straight.”
I guess that I’ve been thinking about all of this in part because of a book I have recently been teaching and which is the subject of a series of sermons that Adam Faughn is presenting on Sunday evenings. I love the book of Nehemiah. I think that there are so many life lessons and lessons for people in leadership positions in that great book. I am particularly intrigued by the book’s last sentence.
I’m thinking that the sentence could serve as a spoken or unspoken request during our journey through life. It might also serve as an appropriate message on a tombstone. It may ultimately be our final desire as we draw our final breath.
Remember me, O my God, for good. (Nehemiah 13:31)
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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
