The assignment was to build memorial. Dr. Kim Russo passionately explained the difference between a monument and memorial through words only a tortured artist would identify with. Her lively hands and facial features were unusually lifeless and dull following the attack on September 11th, 2001.

Some students cried. Some students were absent. I, however, sat in the art studio completely unaware of what the had occurred. I knew two planes were hijacked by terrorists, but I didn’t realize the death, destruction, and impending doom it would bring to our nation.

vietnam memorial

So Dr. Russo let us pair up and mourn for our nation through building a memorial. Memorials are often related to death and destruction. For instance, the World Trade Center Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr.Memorial, or the Vietnam Memorial. A monument, however, tends to be build to remember a person or event in history. The Empire State Building, for example, is a monument of the booming American economy of the period and the Arc de Triumph is a monument to military victories.

There is a stark difference between a memorial and a monument, but both are needed in society. But I’m going to proffer the need for memorial in life as well.

In Joshua 4 we read that through Joshua the Lord commands twelve men, each one representing one of the twelve tribes, to collect twelve large stones from the middle of the Jordan river bed and to carry them up to where Israel would camp near Jericho. These stones, he says, are for a memorial to help the Israelites, and all future generations, to remember this great event of the Jordan crossing, and particularly how the Lord had held back the raging torrent in order to allow his people to cross over on dry ground.

Yesterday I admitted I was on dry ground. But I was reminded by your blog comments that God is faithful. I wrestled with looking into my life and discovering some sin I wasn’t aware of or trying to hide, but it’s less to do with evil and more to do with pruning. I’m being stripped and painfully pruned, but your words are healing balm and your prayers are felt.

21 Then [Joshua] spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; 23 for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

A memorial was erected in September of 2001 on the upper lawn of Whitter College. But today, Dr. Russo, I’m erecting an emotional memorial to mourn this season and remember. When following generations ask me about this season, I will say we survived because the mighty hand of the LORD was upon us and helped us pass through.

Also, I really should have earned an A+ for my memorial. Whitter College looked amazing because of my lawn sculptures. Just saying…