A statue of the Virgin Mary, flanked by kneeling angels praying on either side. Mary's face is bathed in cyan-coloured light as sunlight shines through stained glass adorning the walls of a small family mausoleum. Located in the Necropolis Cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland.
My husband and I had just passed this statue on our walkabout of the Necropolis, when we sat down on a stone wall nearby to have a heartfelt talk. We had come to Glasgow en route to see a friend near Aberdeen who recently underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove his cancer. My husband had also lost his father a few years back and was visibly shaken by the size and scope of the cemetery, and the undeniable presence of death all around us.
As we sat near this statue, weeping in unison for our friend's dire health, and for the many others whom we had lost, a raven plopped onto the grass beside us and cocked his head up to look at us quizzically. In my tears I had to laugh as it was such an unusual sight. He nestled in the grass not a foot from us, as to observe our sadness up close. His gazed seems so steadfast and assured, as if to tell us that it was alright, and death was surely not the end. This raven sat with us a full 15 minutes while we had a good cry and spoke of our losses and fears of the unknown.
After a while, we gathered ourselves and went on to continue our walk, when the sun suddenly emerged from behind the clouds, beaming powerful hot on our tear-stained faces. The mausoleum, which had been dark and grey only minutes before, was now gloriously illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the many stained glass panels lining the roof of the mausoleum.
I grabbed my camera and snapped away, not knowing how long the effect would last. I excitedly called over to another lady in the cemetery with a camera, to advise her of the wonderful sight so she could capture it as well. She gasped as she walked over and said to us:
"It must be a sign".
To this day, I like to think so.
The Illumination of Mary
Glasgow Necropolis, 2025
My favourite capture from our Glasgow trip. See alt text for the full story.
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