“To
every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the
heaven.”—Ecclesiastes 3:1
There is something about autumn that
invites reflection. The heat of summer gives way to cooler evenings, the leaves
begin to fall, and the year seems to pause between the abundance of summer and
the barrenness of winter.
Autumn sits at the juncture between past
and future, between life and death, metaphorically speaking. It is the time of
Harvest, the time when all the Farmer’s long days of unflagging labor in the
summer’s heat would be rewarded. It is also the time when remaining plants and
trees go dormant, their vibrant life that makes Summer so green and fresh
ebbing away, to preserve a remnant of life safe from Winter’s hostile attacks.
Autumn is both a season of planning
ahead, preparing for the future, and of remembrance, for looking back.
The falling leaves remind us that nothing
in this earthly life lasts forever. The Psalmist writes, “As for man, his days
are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.” (Psalm 103:15),
These words are not meant to leave us in despair, but to teach us humility. The
generations before us have passed from this world, and one day our own
generation will pass as well.
But as the flowers of the field, our own
generation will give rise to others, who may carry forward the work of our Kind
given to us by God from the foundation of the world. It is for us, the living,
to plan for them, the future, so that we may hand off the torch of our common
heritage to them, flaming brightly and well-kept, that they might bear it
burning down through the years in their turn to those that shall come after
them.
And in truth, it is that very work of
planning and preparation that gives special importance to the work of
remembrance.
As members of the Sons of Confederate
Veterans, we seek to preserve the memory of those who lived through one of the
defining periods of our nation's history. We remember their service, their
sacrifices, their families, their communities, and the world they knew. For
that generation, the War Between the States was not a distant remembrance. It
was personal memory.
That generation is now gone.
The responsibility of remembrance has
therefore passed to us.
Scripture repeatedly commands God's
people to remember and to teach the generations that follow. “Thou shalt teach
them diligently unto thy children.” (Deuteronomy 6:7).
That principle applies to our own history
as well. A people who forgets its past becomes disconnected from its own story.
Our task is not to pretend that those who came before us were perfect, but to
preserve their memory honestly and faithfully.
For as Christians, we know that death is
not the end of the story. All that is false will one day be exposed, and all
that is truthful will one day be revealed. All those who have died in Christ
will themselves return, resurrected in immortality, and may bear witness to the
truth. And as we ourselves desire to be found faithful, we must strive to
preserve the true record of our People for its future generations.
We cannot stop the passing of time, but
we can faithfully preserve what has been entrusted to us. We can teach our
children who their ancestors were, preserve and tell their records and stories,
visit their graves, and remember the communities in which they lived.
As another year moves toward winter, may
we be grateful for God's blessings, faithful in the responsibilities He has
given us, and diligent in preserving the memory of those who came before.
And when the autumn of our own life
comes, may we be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7).
May God bless our families, our chapter,
and those whose memories we have been entrusted to preserve. May He grant us
wisdom to remember the past, courage to fulfill our duties in the present, and
faith to entrust the future to His providence.
Deo
Vindice!
