THE CENOTAPHS —  Commemorating the Honored Dead

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A Cenotaph is a monument or marker commemorating the Honored Dead who are usually buried elsewhere.  The burials could be otherwise unmarked a few feet away (as in many of the defenders of the Alamo with its cenotaph) or hundreds of miles away across the Ocean.  There is the Cenotaph on Whitehall in London, England which is well-known and many other locations, too. The word cenotaph is from the Greek, cenotaph meaning empty tomb. However, I like to think Cenotaphs are full of grace and love. Not empty. I even know of a person who placed a lock of their hair underneath the sod at the base of a cenotaph as a mark of endearment and respect. The cenotaphs offer places for people to deposit flowers of remembrance in a convenient and respectful fashion.  Other Cenotaphs may serve as religious signposts pointing to the homes of forefathers and foremothers who have gone before us. Most certainly, I consider Cenotaphs a vital part of our religious faith. They represent lives of people we cherished, and the ideals they stood for.

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