We arrived here in D.C. yesterday and we have not stopped running since we got here. I won't bore you with the details but I feel can not sleep so I wanted to at least show Merilee and the girls pictures of Daddy in D.C. By the by, I freaking miss you guys. Gweny please stop throwing up on mommy in public. Mikayla you are such a good girl. Merilee, I miss you and you are the best wife a guy could dream of. I really wish you were here. I wish I could figure out why the pictures are not loading. Anyway we pitched our tent today on the national mall right below the Washington Monument. It was awesome. My kids started to help so many other people set up their tents that the people setting up their tents thought they were part of the staff. It was fun to see them work together and reach out to other people.
A homeless guy gave us a tour that was really in interesting.
We went to the library of congress and we saw Jefferson's personal library and no Twilight was not there. It was something else.
We also had a private tour of the Senate and the House of Reps. Orrin Hatch's aid gave us the tour. Mikayla, we got to ride on a train underground that only the Senators are allowed to use. It went really fast and they let me hit the button. We then talked policy changes with president elect Obama, had lunch with him and Michelle and then went to the next sight.
As we were walking home we walked past the White House. As we were walking we saw a woman being taped for a documentary on her feelings about Obama being elected. We watched this and most people got teary eyed when we saw the real emotion of this man being elected. My thought is, worse case scenario he does nothing and just him being elected to the President will erase a racist scar this country has been plagued with since we stole 12 million slaves during the founding of our country and only counted them as 3/5 of a man.
We also saw the old supreme court room where Marbury vs. Madison happened and let me tell you it was fancy.
We finished off the night walking to see the huge Abe. I stood where Dr. King stood. As I was looking at the reflection pool and pondering the words "being judged on the content of their character" and not on the color of their skin, I was sad that Dr. King was stolen from us and he would never know Obama. As I looked at my students eyes, many were filled with excitement and I realized that most of my students are not white. Maybe the color issue in this country is coming to an end. I really hope so. I was proud to have helped in electing Obama, just for this moment in history. "Free at Last!!!"
As I touched the Vietnam War Wall I felt shame of the past and how we should have helped when we didn't. If you look at the base of the memorial you will see all sorts of personal belongings just left for the soldiers. Flowers, medals, poems, patches and a old army hat were among the ones that I saw. After studying Vietnam and teaching it to students it was never really real, until tonight.
Well I am proud of what we are doing. These kids will be changed forever and I know they will think of Darfur and our Brothers and Sisters in this area of the world in despair. I do not say often enough, but I am grateful for mac and cheese. I am grateful for t.v. I am grateful for a little girls dancing shoes. I am grateful for electricity and the ability to keep my family warm. I am grateful for my family. If I lived in Darfur, well I would not be alive. Merilee would not be whole and my little babies would be in hell. I need to do more.
I love you girls with all of my heart and on this restless night, know that your daddy loves you. Merilee I love you!!
Please be safe!!
J.
9 comments:
WOW! One of the most touching posts I've read in a blog EVER! Merilee, I think you chose well! :D
What a cool experience!
Josh! We miss you! I'm glad you are having a good time though. Gweny is feeling better, but Mikayla is sick now. We hope she's better for her primary program tomorrow. Love you!!
(this is Nate) Dude. It is just amazing what you are doing. Thank you for being such a great teacher. I hope to be as good as you. You have really touched the lived of your students and that is just awesome.
Josh, you are amazing. We think you are wonderful and are so glad that you found Merilee. We were so worried she would end up with the last name of Arachnid or something.
Josh, it was so fantastic to be with you tonight. I love you! It has been too long since we have really hung out and I was glad to catch up with one of my favorite cousins.
Oh, and by the way, you are such a good writer. I enjoyed reading your post about D.C., Obama and the great things your kids have done. All in all, a meaningful trip in many aspects. Including catching up with family.
Love you - lets keep in better touch.
Kell
P.S. Just looked through older posts and your daughters are so so beautiful. Hi Merilee!
What an amazing trip! We are glad you are having a good time and experiencing all of these wonderful things!
(this is Stacy) Did Josh get to go with the school kids and talk about the tents for Darfur or was it for Close-up or something else? It sounds amazing. History for me is confusing, mostly one-sided, and hard to keep straight and I wish Josh could've been MY teacher! I would have understood it better and felt the draw that he does. :)
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