Major Miles McDonald

    I first discovered this grave on a walk through the beautiful and picturesque St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands, New York, during the fall of 2020. We were smack in the middle of the pandemic and taking advantage of every chance we had to get outdoors in the beautiful autumn weather to explore.

    The sun always seems to shine down in some particularly divine way when I am visiting this final resting place. My camera is full and my heart overflows with the peacefulness I feel here. When surrounded by thoughts of the ultimate unknown, I barely pause for a moment to question my belief in what comes after we leave this life. So often I stand at the top of the hill, look out at the beauty that surrounds me and breathe in the magic. I run my fingers along the cold stone letters of this soldier's monument and read them each as if I were a first time visitor to this place. I am alive! Everything that came before on this day suddenly melts into perspective. My heart breaks for this soldier, for the life he never had a chance to live. My soul is grateful for the gift of knowing he existed. I will always keep talking about him. He deserves to be remembered. 

I wrote and submitted a story about Miles McDonald for the Dearly Departed Series of the Albany Diocesan Cemeteries Blog. Read it HERE