It's a memorial that someone will walk by and read. Each stone has something to say. It's the past reminding you of itself. You have to listen. What it's made of says something.
Granite is perpetual.
Sometimes an inscription is humorous. Some are serene, planned. Others make it pretty clear that the death has torn the hearts out of those left behind. Where the death is sudden is where you encounter the most pain. I've seen so many possibilities, I haven't hit on exactly what I want on my stone.