What would be on your banner?

St. Mark's UMC in Charleston has a wonderful tradition for All Saint's Day. Each year, two volunteers make banners -- one for each member of the church who has died during the year. On All Saint's Day, these new banners are hung at the front of the church, and the ones from previous years are hung all throughout the sanctuary. It's a moving and beautiful sight to behold.

One day at work I wandered down our hallway and into the room where these two woman work on Mondays, creating the banners. I just went in to peak at what they were doing, but Mary took the time to tell me about each banner -- the person in whose memory it was being constructed, why they were using the symbols on the banners that they were, how many they were making, and how that number compared to other years.

Each banner is lovingly assembled by these two women. They include the name of the person who died as well as pictures which represent various aspects of that person's life. She showed me a banner made in memory of a minister -- on the banner was a cross and flame as well as a robe with a stole. A person who loves flowers might have a rose on the banner. A knitter? yarn and needles.

As I stood in the Sanctuary today, and looked at all the banners, I wondered what would be on a banner assembled with my name on it. If you were a member of St. Mark's, what would you want to have placed on a banner made in your memory?

In the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey suggests that we should "begin with the end in mind." If you could assemble your banner today, with symbols of what you wanted your life to be like, what would you put on it? If you could name those things for which you want to be remembered, what would they be?

And if you could do that, shouldn't you (and I) live your life so make that a reality?