EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS
Sometimes constructs
suggestive of funerary applications can be found in odd places. Palliative bereavement consolation
might be realized in a big way by passing through Effingham, where an exceedingly large steel cross rises 198 feet high above common ground.
Though referred to as “The Cross at the
Crossroads” because of its location at the intersection of two major highways, this labeled designation might be symbolically befitting for someone experiencing a loss and needing to
reconfigure one’s direction in life.
A “Meditation Walk” leads to the giant white configuration. Besides having
access to a small gift shop and a short video about the structure’s
construction process, visitors can activate rock-shaped speakers next to ten stone
tablets that represent the biblical Ten Commandments; the press of a button
produces a morsel of wisdom relative to the corresponding commandment. Although
not designed as a mourning tool, bereaved individuals who come across it during
their travels could potentially be awed and infused with comforting ethereal contemplations.
