It's hard to believe it's been over a year since Shira's dad has passed away. Today we remembered his passing by having the unveiling of his headstone.
The attached photo shows the top of the new headstone with a bunch of small stones on it. It's Jewish tradition that when you visit a grave site you leave a stone, rather than flowers, to show that you were there.
Here's one explanation for this tradition, as described in this article:
Flowers are a good metaphor for life. Life withers; it fades like a flower. As Isaiah says "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty like the flower of the field; grass withers and flowers fade" (Isaiah 40:6,7). For that reason, flowers are an apt symbol of passing.
But memory is supposed to be lasting. While flowers may be a good metaphor for the brevity of life, stones seem better suited to the permanence of memory. Stones do not die.
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