It is Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of summer for our students, teachers, and aides. The long weekend brings everyone a break in the schedule. It is a time to gather with family and friends. It is a time of remembering loved ones lost and those who died so that we could know freedom.
Some will visit cemeteries. I love to read the grave markers in old cemeteries. Hometown cemeteries are places where we can find names, dates, and other information about our extended family.
Others will look through photos to share stories and memories. A few will write the stories down to pass them on to the next generation. In this day of technology, I fear some of the important things will be lost as we rely on things that quickly become outdated and hard to access.
This passage has always been a favorite of mine. When the children of Israel finally get to cross over into the promised land, Joshua gives them this instruction:
"Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” -Joshua 4:21-23
"That your children may know." Stones of remembrance matter. Stone lasts for many generations. It is why we use it for gravestones and other items we want to be resilient over time and through many seasons of weather.
Share the food, the stories, and the memories as you make some more this weekend.
Today, I am grateful for stones of remembrance.
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