"Liberty to All"

IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER


I get choked up reading this. I get chocked up at a lot of things, but I have a love of history and this chokes me up. Of all of the monuments to see in D.C, this is the only one that I HAD to go to.

The day that I visited Pearl Harbor, I can not explain the emotion. You are standing above a tomb for thousands of men. Black, White, Asian it just didn't matter. They had died because they believed in Freedom. I had similar feelings yesterday standing at the marbled feet of Abraham Lincoln. When you think about what he did, for our nation, for civil rights, for the human race, you can not help but stand in awe. When we walked in Rusty told me, "Don't let me rush you, take your time." I thought it was sweet that he understood how much it meant to me. I would have cried I think if not for the huge multitude of people standing around us.

We walked by the WWII museum and I got choked up again. My Grandfather fought in WWII. I have read quite a bit about the war and the conditions of the Allied troops as they fought towards Germany. You can't help but stop and think and pay respect to the memory of the men who walked in the Bataan Death March. There were high school kids running around screaming and joking....I wanted to scream. To somehow instill in them the reverence for the sacrifice this monument represented. Yet, I'm not sure I was much different then myself.



I was surprised at how the White House was somehow....demure. It was understated among buildings much more architecturally amazing. It is hard to describe my feelings at seeing it. I found it funny when the Hot Dog lady asked us to say "Hi" to Obama for her when she found out where we were heading. I turned around to immediately murmur "Like HELL I will!" No matter who walks the halls now, great men have walked there. I was proud to know it stood as a symbol for freedom and greatness, even if it wasn't always portrayed that way to the world.

We walked around in sunshine. Brylee napped through most of it (thankfully), and we had smiles on our faces almost the whole time. It will take many trips to be able to see everything I want to see. The Smithsonian's alone will take days. It was great to explore, to see for ourselves things we have only seen in books and movies. (By the way, you know if Forest Gump when Jennie runs to Forest as he stands by the Lincoln Memorial? You can see the tall Washington Monument in the background. Remember as she wades through the reflection pool? Ya, all of those things are a lot farther apart than it appears in the movie.)

And, as a side note, I found a lot of nice people in the subway. I almost didn't make it on the train with Rusty, and this nice man grabbed me and pretty much threw me on. I was never so grateful to be manhandled before in my life! All in all, it was a great day in D.C.

Rusty feeding the squirrel an M&M

Just starting the day.

1st Subway ride for Brylee and Mom!



Playing in the grass.

White House Garden