He carved a portion of human history. In somber mood, stroke-by-stroke he worked sliding his chisel effortlessly across stone as if it were last night's knife across the morning's butter. Jacob never made a sound as he carved. Perhaps an occasional sigh covered up by blowing away the stone-dust. One could never truly read his emotions when he worked. His chisel rounded one letter and glided to the next: Reader behold as you pass by…

The straw of the broom across the earthen floor made little sound as well. Nothing like the scratching it made as Guinevere swept inside the stonecutter's office. There the floor was solid, like the granite and marble scattered on display. She tried not to sweep in there when the mourners came in, especially not when the soon-to-be-deceased were present. Let them choose their legacy without her. She would watch it play out later. With Jacob. His chisel made an elegant arc across the flat, slate-colored stone in front of him. Dappled with dust as his cuts exposed the fresh layers beneath, it looked new and clean. Nothing at all like the business of death.

Jacob brought beauty to death. He simply didn't know it.

Using her broom as her crutch she chanced a few paces closer to him. When he worked, his face-just as sculpted and beautiful as the cherubs around her-skewed into expressions of determination, joy, agony. Again-it was hard to tell. The world fell away when he carved and he fascinated her.

"I put into the stone what God takes away." He once explained during a rare moment of conversation. "Human history for others to read and reflect upon when most will pass by. Will anyone read this a year from now?" He had gestured that day to an exquisite stone filled with swirls and elegant lettering. "Ten? One hundred? Who can say who will embrace Death the longest? Most wish Him away. Death is just the beginning. It is all in how you celebrate the life He came for."

Why didn't Jacob celebrate?

Picking up a smaller lettering-chisel, his elegant hand made the stone quiver to life: As you are now, once was I…