Sunday, October 14, 2012

Mt. Hope Issue


Now that passions have cooled, I am posting a letter I received last month. 

Dear Troost Family,

Let me begin my letter by stating that I am not writing to threaten, fight or flee my home or community.  I am writing to you as a deeply compassionate person who wants to shape the world where we both live. I am here to engage with you and your family in the hard work of restoring peace to our community.

My family, as well as other families in our community, are families rich in traditions.  One common tradition we share with your family, is the tradition of burying our loved ones in one of our many southwest side cemeteries.  It is apparent that the residents of the Southwest side keep our families close, from our womb and in our hearts to their final resting place at home again in one of our many neighboring cemeteries. We bury our stillborns, our children who have been ravished by fatal illness or sudden death, our partners and spouses, our best friends, our elderly parents and our most devoted public servants - our Police and Firemen. Most recently we bury our Soldiers, our true heroes, who return to our community after fighting for you and me and our families so we can continue to live our daily lives in peace.

When many of us were children we visited the cemetery, prayed and cared for our family graves with our parents and grandparents. We all learned at an early age that when a funeral procession passed we would always pause, bow our heads with compassion and pray for the deceased and their grief stricken family and friends. Again, we have passed on another important tradition to the next generation, to continue to welcome processions, to pray and to show reverence to the many families who entered our community with heavy hearts.

It was not difficult for members of our community to make the choice to stand in silence, be respectful and pray for the deceased and grieving families who passed us to enter your cemetery on Saturday September 15, 2012. I hope by now you recognize that we are still a community of families who believe acts of kindness and selfless service is a way of life.

It is apparent that the Troost family, Elected Officials, surrounding Police Departments and our community need to come to a new way of understanding. There is so much to be done. We wish to work with you and continue to treat death and burials with respect. And we look forward to restoring our community with a balanced state of peace.

With full hearts,

Kathleen Walsh Mulcahy

Tony Bansley

  & the surrounding community of the Southwest side cemeteries