monuments and gravestones

I've been thinking:

Monument:

a lasting evidence, reminder, or example of someone or something notable or great (2): a distinguished person b: a memorial stone or a building erected in remembrance of a person or event. An identifying mark : evidence; also : portent, sign. 5. a carved statue : effigy6: a boundary or position marker (as a stone)7: national monument 8: a written tribute.

There's monument Valley, Monument Colorado, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Monument, Jeffererson Monument et. al., And this monument to the unsung soldiers of the wars before VietNam who were from a small village in northern Illinois. Who pays attention? Who remembers? The monument has stood there for beyond 70 years...

and then there's the gravestone: a shaped stone laid over or erected near a grave and usually bearing an inscription to identify and preserve the memory of the deceased ment

The grave stone marks the passage of our lives. Usually 2 dates. Birth. Death. And that a recent invention. For the vast majority of humankind, there is no marking or monument to life and death.

I realize recently that i have frantically been building monuments: the chest full of geneolgy. I don't want my family to forget. The pictures. I want them to see the scope of our history in living color. Every family get together. Every blogging post.... I have been blessed by God and I want to bless my family and those around me...

The Blessing

Let it be said of us while we walked among the living

Let it be said of us by the ones we leave behind

Let it be said of us that we lived to be a blessing for life

Verse 2

And let it be said of us that we gave to reach the dying

Let it be said of us by the fruit we leave behind

Let it be said of us that our legacy is blessing for life

Chorus

This day, You set life, You set death right before us

This day, every blessing and curse is a choice now

And we will choose to be a blessing for life

Verse 3

Let it be said of us that our hearts belong to Jesus

Let it be said of us that we spoke the words of life

Let is be said of us that our heritage is blessing for life

'Cause blessings and curses are choices

Will we build up, tear down?

The moment of truth is now

For your kingdom, for our children

For the sake of every nation

For your kingdom, for our children

For the sake of every nation

We will choose to be a blessing for life

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