A tradition in the Palpant household is to attend the Memorial Day parade in Adrian. It stirs our emotions to see the veterans from World War II, Korean conflict, Vietnam, Bosnia, and Iraq/Afghanistan. Unfortunately, not many of the WWII veterans can march in the parade anymore, but they certainly attend if they can. This year there was a fitting ceremony at Monument Park that began and ended with prayer, and Adrian High School Band played the Star Spangled Banner. Following an excellent speech by a veteran, there was a gun salute and the playing of Taps. The crowd was not as large as it should have been but, more than ever, great respect was shown by those attending.
There are many places in the Bible where God told the leaders to make a memorial in remembrance of what took place from the hand of God. An example would be the stones that were piled up after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. There were twelve stones representing each of the twelve tribes of Israel. A memorial that we as Christians use would be the Cross and the Sacraments. Both of these symbols help us to remember what God has done for us just like Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have fought for our country and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
A good exercise that we did as a family was to record how God worked in our lives each year since the beginning of our marriage. This is a form of a memorial or, as in Joshua, the piling of stones for remembrance. We would encourage you to create some kind of memory book or listing of important events, blessings, or milestones in the life of your family. This helps to create a memorial that is unique to you and your family.
Blessings and Encouragement,
Paul and Gail
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