My thought on seeing these has always been to wonder if these same people
pay as much attention to the actual place of burial as they do to continue
to upgrade the roadside "monuments." Maybe I'm delusional, but if they
have
that much money and time, perhaps they might be recruited to helping
preserve actual places of rest.
Sue Silver
CA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ernie & Connie Lasley" <elasley(a)sigecom.net>
To: <INPCRP-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 10:44 AM
Subject: Re: [INPCRP] JUST FOR THE RECORD
At 12:42 PM 02/27/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>And of course...sadly and unfortunately....due to the incredibly high
number
>of DWI deaths.......our roads are lined with
"descansos".........highway
>shrines which are decorated with personal momentos and for the various
>holidays. In fact several years ago some people pooled their time and
talents
>and published a small book and there was a museum exhibit of the
pictures. I
>have seen them also in Indiana...but on a simpler scale.
Yes they are in indiana, too - - - from a simple cross to wreaths and
flowers, and even elaborate shrines. I hesitate to say anything at all
here, for fear that I will offend or anger someone who has lost a lived
one
in a tragic accident. But I simply cannot understand the reasoning
behind
decorating the roadsides like this. At one time the State Of
Indiana
actually participated in this, to draw attention to dangerous
intersections
and stretches of roadway, or to emphasize that "speed
kills" or "don't
drink and drive" The State officially abandoned the practice several
years ago for three reasons: It distracted driver's attention, it looked
bad on Indiana's Highway Safety record, and they were hard to mow around.
But I still do not understand it. We have the visitation and funerals at
funeral homes to mourn our loss, honor our loved ones, and allow others to
pay their respects. We have our cemeteries as our final resting place,
and
a place where we can go to mourn our loss, pay our respects, remember
our
loved ones on special occasions, and perpetuate their memory. What
purpose does the roadside markers and shrines serve? I have been in the
emergency response business for over 35 years now, and I can tell you that
95% of the traffic accident deaths in Gibson County did not occur at the
spot marked along the roadway. Most of them occured in the emergency room
or in the hospital, sometimes hours or days later. Some in the
ambulances
enroute to the hospital. The cross or shrine does not mark the
place
where person was lost.
But when I see one of these along a roadway, I know that someone cared
very
deeply for someone who was in an accident there and is mourning their
loss.
Ernie
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