REMEMBERED

                         

                     

i had to run errands today.  i usually go the same route to and from work, and see the same sights every time.  today, my errands took me to other parts of my county.  as i was driving home from completing my last errand, it suddenly hit me......i had seen about 6 roadside "shrines" while i had been out all day.  you know the ones, where someone has been killed, either by a car, or by murder.  a wreath, some stuffed animals, letters, candles, pictures.  all of a sudden, emotion overtook me, and i began to cry hysterically.  but by the grace of God, one of those "shrines" could have been for my 18 yr old daughter....or a good friend, or even for me.  each one represents someone's loved one.........someone's daughter, son, mother, father, aunt, uncle, etc.  some are kept up daily, with fresh flowers, new stuffed animals, etc.  others, after a few weeks, go unattended, and blow away, or are stolen.  i used to hear some say that they thought these "shrines" should be outlawed, because they caused drivers to divert their attention to them, and caused more accidents.  though i truly seriously doubt that, i don't think they should be outlawed.  to some, this is a way to find closure.  to some, this is the only way they can pay their respects to someone.  but mostly, because this is a reminder to many to be careful, to not drink and drive, to not go out alone.  maybe a life will be saved just because of one of these roadside "shrines".  i personally only know two who died on a road where a "shrine" was later started.  one was my 18 yr old step nephew, who intentionally drove his car into an embankment at 120 mph, because his wife, the mother of his child, didn't want to be with him anymore.  the other was a friend of my daughter's, who was 16, driving to school for the first time.  she made a terrible error in pulling out into traffic, and was hit by a school bus going over the limit of 55 mph.  tragic.....and there are hundreds and maybe thousands of these "shrines" all over the country.  if you have a loved one that passed this way, my heart goes out to you.  the picture i have enclosed here is one taken by d. winge and is in a cemetery, but i thought it still belonged here on this page.  blessings to you all, and may God comfort the grieving.