08.29.09
Roadside Memorials
August 29, 2009
Highways and Byways
I have just returned home after a 3000 mile cross country trip and here is something I just don’t get…..Roadside Memorials. Flowers and crosses on the side of the road. In fact, long before this trip these memorials have cropped up all over the place. Many states, in fact, have abandoned the roadside billboards and advertisements as a distraction to drivers, only to have them replaced by the Roadside Memorial.
I’d like to know when and how this all got started. Personally I think they are very morbid and does anyone, except for the families of these victims, really care? I first started seeing memorials painted on the rear windows of cars. I’m sure you must have seen them too. In Loving Memory Of…….Rest In Peace ….. etc. I was always under the impression that these were the morose writings of some gang member after the loss of one of their own. Yes, let’s shoot each other on the street and then paint your car for the world to see how sorrowful we are. At least that was my impression of it. I may, of course, be wrong.
Then the roadside memorials; and this is going back sometime now. On this trip across country I saw something I had never seen before. Flowers and, not the usual cross, but the Star of David. It is very unusual for a Jewish family to do this, it’s simply not the custom. I was really taken aback by it.
And let’s not forget those folks who decided it would be a good idea to dedicate one’s car or truck in loving memory of someone. Now, what the hell is that all about. I often wonder what the deceased person would think if he or she could see that they were so important to that person that he dedicated his truck to him. All I can say is that there must be a lot of rumbling going on upstairs.
It seems this practice has caught on like wildfire and just why boggles the mind. What possible purpose does it serve. If one really wanted to honor the memory of a loved one who was killed in a traffic accident why not do something worthwhile. Make a contribution to a favorite charity in that persons name or set up a scholarship fund to help a young person with education.
There are so many more ways to pay homage to a lost sole, why not save the flowers and the makeshift crosses for some other venue. It would seem to me that all the time and effort that must go into maintaining these roadside memorials would be better spent doing something that would really pay tribute to the deceased. Working against drunk driving or sponsoring a safety course for young teen drivers comes to mind, just to name a few.
I know that I will probably offend a lot of people by my comments especially those who have placed these memorials but quit honestly your loved one isn’t on the side of the road, your loved one remains alive in your heart; why not honor their memory in a more positive and deserving way.
Simply stated this is just one women’s rant.