SPRING IS HERE AND SO ARE THE CROWDS on West Cliff Drive. And with the crowds come the stone stackers. Have you seen the stones precariously balanced one on top of the other? It is quite amazing the amount of skill and patience it takes to create these stacks of stone sculptures. I speak from experience for I have tried to mimic the artistic endeavors of others, but to no avail.
Of course, the question arises, “What do stacks mean?” Who knows, really? I suppose that for some they were made to fit some deeper spiritual reality, but most are nothing more than mimicry, the attempt of some dad trying to impress his children.
In reality, stone stacking has a very long history. We even find the activity within the stories of the Old Testament. It seemed that whenever some significant event took place; a major victory or a special meeting with God, or the marking of a new beginning, a pile of stones was made. It was to stand as a memorial for future generations. It was to pique the interest of those who would later pass by and ask, “What event took place here?” It was most often a reminder of the intervention of God into the lives of His people.
This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day, a stacking of stones as it were. A time when younger generations ask of older ones, “What event took place here?” “What do we seek to remember today?” It is the time to recall to our present memory the sacrifice of others for the freedoms we enjoy. It is a time to give thanks for those who died so that we could live.
Come to think of it, it is a day not unlike every Sunday morning when the faithful gather to remember the sacrifice made, and the life laid down; the freedom purchased and the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Another stone is stacked.