It wasn't until my husband died that I began to understood the purpose of those memoriam on the obit page in the newspaper. Memoriams usually have a picture, include the dates of birth and death, and have a message to the deceased. I always wondered, "Who are these for? Why do folks pay to have these printed?"
So the remembering will continue. As long as the lost one is remembered, their life retains value and substance. As long as some one remembers, the lost one is not lost forever.
Remembering a loved one lost also keeps us mindful of the frailty of human life, gone sometimes in seconds. In those moments we are reminded that life is not a contest but a gift.
You honor the fallen by remembering them. Pray for them by name. Remember them to the loved ones left behind, then live life full of compassion and generosity and grace.
"Almighty God, look with pity upon the sorrows of our neighbors for whom we pray. Remember them Lord, in mercy; nourish them with patience; comfort them with a sense of your goodness; look upon them with grace; and give them peace." Amen (adapted from the Book of Common Prayer)
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