Last week I was a lucky lady. I got to spend the week in Washington DC with my son, Benjamin, and grandsons Austin (age 13) and Grady (age 18). We walked miles and miles and visited all the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. (Well, almost all; we skipped the art museums…..boys, you know.) First day we toured Arlington National Cemetery and found it most moving. “Everybody” knows that President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline rest there, with an eternal flame at their heads. But did you know that Robert Kennedy lies to Jack’s right with a simple white cross…. and then Edward Kennedy lies to Robert’s right beneath another simple white cross?
I saw two things that stand out in my mind as epitomizing America. I saw with my own eyes our founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. And (in the Air & Space Museum) I saw a young lady teacher with her flock of 8 third graders….. 4 were boys, 4 were girls. Four were black, 4 were white. One boy was Asian and one girl wore the scarf of Islam. They were all interacting and chattering as youngsters do but being mindful of their teacher. THAT was truly a microcosm of America as it really should be. The sight, in memory, gives me great hope for America’s future.
What did you do over Spring Break??? Donna, aka Mother Hen, until next week.