Memorial Day!




Joshua 4:4-7 (New Living Translation)

4. “So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. 5 He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

The scriptures above tells us that stones were used to build a memorial. A place where the Jordan river literally stopped flowing when the Ark crossed over. There are many events in our life when something happens that is important to us, and we want to remember when and where it was at. This is the “memorial” day event that takes place at a graveyard in a rural area in Arkansas . The day set aside for remembering those loved ones that have gone on before us. The day when folks bring flowers to lay on the graves. I remember when I was a little girl, weeks before the “big” day, my mother worked furiously to make flowers out of white, pink, and blue tissue paper and wire. They looked like peonies, they were beautiful! at that time I never realized that when it rained, all that beauty and hard work changed drastically. Now I carry on the tradition, and make flowers for her grave and my father. Not the same kind, though. One of these days I just may have to see if I can remember how it was done. Nevertheless, this is how I was raised to celebrate the memory of our loved ones. I have heard some say, “well, they are not there anymore”, and of course this is true and that is the reason why some don’t celebrate this day. But for us, it is a wonderful time to honor the memories of these special people. So after church everyone begins to gather and decorate the graves. There will be lots of laughter, and “my goodness, you haven’t changed a bit” type thing! And after all is said and done, we will remember these “stones” that mark the place where our families are laid to rest. Like Joshua they will be a reminder for future generations, a testimony of who these people were. The following is engraved on my mothers tombstone.

“Remember Dear Children, as you pass by, As you are now, Once was I. As I am now, so you must be, prepare for death, and follow me!”

Have a very special "Memorial Day"

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