by David Scott Robertson
I had driven that route at least a hundred times before.
Why had I never seen it?
Yet, there it was, plain as day, fastened to the guardrail.
A cross on the side of the road.
Now that I think about it,
Throughout my years traveling the highways and by-ways,
I’ve seen many crosses on the side of the road.
Perhaps you have too.
Some crosses have artificial flowers wired to them.
Some have a small sign attached.
Some are fancy crosses
And some are crude, wooden crosses like the kind Jesus died on.
All of the crosses on the side of the road
Have one thing in common, though.
They all have a story behind them.
A tragic story.
The cross more than likely marks the spot
Where a dearly loved one (or ones) died in an accident.
The cross on the side of the road
Is a permanent memorial to the fateful and fatal day.
A small emblem that says, “I remember.”
You and I may drive down a stretch of road
And think nothing about it except getting from point A to point B.
Another person may drive down the same stretch of road
And for them,
When they pass the cross on the side of the road
A feeling, an emotion, a memory, a thought erupts.
Why? Because they are the one that put the cross there.
The next time I notice
A cross on the side of the road,
I purpose in my heart to breathe a prayer to God
On behalf of the family and friends of their departed loved on.
His or her memorial not only stands on perpetual duty at a graveyard,
But also on a cross on the side of the road.
DSR
7/29/02