The Story

Karen Monsalvatge
Scott duPont
Veronica Robles





The script of the Marker Memories...video is a simple one.

Mom, Dad and young daughter are on a drive. The daughter, played so well by Veronica Robles (who turned 10 two days after the filming), counts the roadside memorial signs they pass. Dad (Scott duPont) asks what she's counting and then explains to her what the "signs and the crosses with all the flowers" represent.

Veronica asks Mom (Karen Monsalvatge) why people die in crashes. Mom explains some reasons people "drive stupid" (my phrase).

Veronica thinks that is sad and continues to count markers as the family passes them.

Finally, her personal "Journey to Understanding" evolves and she asks Dad to stop at the next marker they see -- she wants to show respect for the person whose marker they stop at. She says a prayer for the crash victim then places her new doll baby at the marker's base.

The lesson behind the video's story is also simple: people die while driving.

The scenes of their deaths are often represented by a roadside memorial marker. As I wrote in the introduction, these markers can be found on city streets, interstate highways, even two-lane country roads.

Sadly, though, we often see these memorials but do not pay them much attention.

Only through suffering the loss of a loved one or close friend in a crash, or by learning what the memorials stand for, can we appreciate that a life ended where we see such a reminder.

Demonstrating our appreciation for life and giving the deceased the respect they deserve is not limited to roadside memorial markers but is also expressed at cemeteries, churches of all sorts, parades and a myriad number of other outlets.

We hope our video helps viewers appreciate that life is precious and may be taken away at any time.

As Jeanne Hyler explains so well in the video's second interview, in the brief time it takes to blink our eyes, snap our fingers or say "Oops, my cell phone is ringing" a life may be lost.

Please treasure your life and the lives of your family and friends and ask everyone you ride with to use their seatbelt and don't drive stupid.