The Stone by the Edge of the Road

Many cars drove past the stone by the edge of the road.  And many that passed never noticed the stone that stood out in an empty field.  But those that did notice would ponder about why the stone was there.  It seemed out of place in a field next to a road.  But the road by which the stone stood had not always been paved.  For when the stone was placed, the road was dirt.  Dirt packed hard by the feet, the horses, and the wagons of those who came from far and near to attend the church that was near the stone.  Those faithful knew it was more than a stone by the edge of the road.  For it marked the resting place of someone loved dearly.  Someone who was born when neighbors were few and times were hard.  Someone who fought to shape the land that fed him and his family.  Someone, who worked hard to provide for his wife and his sons.  Someone who cared for the church he attended.  Someone who called his neighbors his friends.  Someone who died much too early.  Yes, it was more than a stone by the edge of the road.  But it has been a long time since anyone remembered why the stone was there.  It has been a long time since any flowers have been laid on the stone by the edge of the road.  For the sons, he worked so hard for, died in a war far from the road by which he was laid.  His son’s bodies never were recovered.  So they could not be laid next to the stone by the edge of the road.  The wife, loved so dearly, died of a broken heart.  Her death was not as swift as her husband or sons.  But it was just as painful.  She remembered the stone by the edge of the road, but after the war took her sons, she could never bring herself to visit again.  Thus when she passed away into God’s arms, there was no one left to remember the stone.  The church burned down years later so there was no record to tell of the stone.  Over the years the Church foundation became buried over and the only indication that there was ever something there was the flowers that seemed to appear out of nowhere every spring.  Soon all the other stones toppled over and became buried except for one.   The one forgotten stone by the edge of the road.

The workers gathered around the stone.  They knew their task, it had been planned for sometime, but it still was not easy.  They gathered before the stone by the edge of the road and pondered about the past that was laid before them.  The past that will be removed because of the progress they were assigned to enforce.  For you see progress has never been good to history and history does not have much of a defense against progress.  Still they pondered about the lives of all scattered in the field, but mostly about the stone by the edge of the road.  They knew that they will see more stones that have been buried over time, but this one is forcing them to notice.  Like a drowning person, who is raising their arm for the last time before going under the waves.  The stone is crying out “remember me”, but there is no one left to remember.  Their church is gone.  The families are gone.  There is no one left to tell about the stone by the edge of the road.  For even the stone cannot cry out as the weather has taken off what love carved into the stone.  The only word that can be read is “Beloved”.  So they paused before the task at hand to ponder.   They asked themselves “Is this all there is to life?”, but no one offers up an answer.  The Forman yelled that it was time and they scattered to their assigned tasks, but one man stayed a while longer and wondered “What if?”

The road was improved, the work was finished.  Progress won another battle.  The road was widened and those traveling will never know about the stone by the edge of the road.  But if you would travel a few miles up the newly paved road.  You would come to a turn off onto a county gravel road.  The gravel road will take you to the house of a worker.  A highway worker who works hard but still has time to ponder.  If you look behind his house there is a hill.  On top of the hill is a small flower garden.  In the center of the flowers there is an old weathered stone.  If you look real close you can make out the word “Beloved”.  For you see many had forgotten the stone by the edge of the road, except for one whose job it was to shape the land.