Sean and I flew to Atlanta in early March and visited with my aunt and uncle. We also drove down to Southern Georgia to visit family, but not in the traditional sense. I wanted to take pictures of my loved ones who has passed onto a better place. I spent nearly a full day down in Madison and Monticello looking for my grandparents', great grandparents', and aunts' and uncles' resting places. We drove to Madison first to Antioch Baptist Church to find my grandparents and great aunt's plots. I found my great aunt Viriginia first, but it took me a while to find my grandparents' plots. Once I did, a wall of emotion hit me hard. I knelt down beside their graves and cried. I prayed that they've rested in peace and told them how much I love and miss them. It dawned on me how much I really missed them and wish I could have said goodbye to them before they passed on. As we were leaving, I noticed that my great grandmother's plot. It was a peaceful feeling to know they all were here in the same place. They're buried at Antioch Baptist Church in Madison, GA. It's the oldest church in Morgan County.
From Madison, we drove to Monticello. Here we spent an hour at Hopewell Baptist Church, an abandoned church in Jasper County. It's where my great aunts Montine and Leona went to church. We searched the small cemetery there and they weren't buried there. I called my aunt in Atlanta and asked her about the church. It's one of the oldest in Jasper County and has been abandoned for over 20 years. The cemetery has tombstones dating to people who were born in the mid-1700's and passed away in the early 1800's. It was such an amazing and peaceful place.
Off to one of the city's cemetery, Westview. Here, we spent another hour or so looking for my relatives. I found my great uncle, Walker, first. I got out and took a picture, kneeled and prayed. Then we drove around for about 15 minutes in this large cemetery and at one point, I told Sean to stop the car. I got out of the car, walked about 100 yards due north from the car and found my other great greatmother, my great uncle, and my great aunts. It's uncanny how I just had this feeling to stop the car.
