DC... Day 4...
On my last morning in DC, I began by standing at the window of my 11th floor hotel room, and thinking of the lives that were going on beneath my vantage point, the lives that have gone into making my stay enjoyable, and the lives that have been sacrificed so that our nation and our beautiful capital city exist and mean so much...
It is fitting, I think, that on our last day in DC we are visiting the final resting spot of at least some of our nation’s heroes...It is a short drive from the hotel to Arlington National Cemetery...It is a short trip, but so is life some times and today will end up being a day of remembrance for me in many ways...
I was happy to have the opportunity to see the cemetery that so many of us have no doubt seen many times on TV. I am again amazed at how little of the grandeur and splendor and enormity of a place the little -- or even giant screens -- can capture. The seemingly endless rows of simple white stones stretch on and on through rolling hills and beautiful areas shaded by tall and splendid trees.
Visiting the grave of JFK was our first stop outside the visitor center. Although his life was over before mine ever began, reading his words and seeing the eternal flame that lights his grave were both moving experiences...It is once again the words, the inscriptions in smooth granite ringing his grave that ring most true and powerful in my mind.
The next stop was the burial place of Robert Kennedy. His cross and headstone are simple and there is a simple beauty in the reflective waters that flank one side of his grave and again reflect an inscription meant to give pause to other thoughts and allow those present to think about what it means to be an American.
All of the three Kennedy men buried in Arlington are buried at the foot of the hill where atop the Arlington mansion sits. From each grave, you can stand at the foot and see either a flame or a simple cross with the hillside, the home and the American flag standing behind them. In that way they are all strikingly similar. In some ways, I was most grateful to see Senator Ted Kennedy’s gravesite. His death is the most recent, but as I witnessed history the day before watching his funeral procession, I also realize that by watching people walk past his grave the morning after his burial I am likely seeing a spot that will look different if I ever return there. I would think that a memorial of some type having an inscription of his own words will be installed to honor this last brother of a trio that served their country. Whether Democrat or Republican, Kennedy fan or foe, there is no doubt that this family and these men have had an impact on the country.
Of the quotes that I have read of Senator Ted Kennedy’s these two are probably my favorites:
“The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.”
"The commitment I seek is not to outworn views but to old values that will never wear out. Programs may sometimes become obsolete, but the ideal of fairness always endures. Circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue."
As my life intersected with the making of history this weekend as Ted Kennedy was laid to rest, I thought of the hopes, the dreams, the values and the work that had been done by so very many people -- both those whose names we know and those who remain obscure -- to secure the freedoms that we all too often take for granted.
It was with thoughts of those whose names we do not know that I headed to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...I must say that the price of the ticket to DC is worth it if this is all I were able to witness. The reverence, the stoicism, the precision with which these young men that march their 21 paces, pause 21 seconds and then make the most impeccably choreographed and practiced turns was an amazing sight to behold.
Had it not been incredibly hot outside (and we’d not had other attractions to see before we headed out) I do believe I could have stood and watched these young soldiers repeat the act of marching, laying wreaths, and changing guard positions the entire day through. This is truly a sight that is beyond my command of words to describe. It is an honor to view and a pleasure to know that those who gave their lives with no hope of being glorified so that I can enjoy my freedoms each and every day are being remembered in such a beautifully impressive way.
We departed Arlington Cemetery and headed to Mt. Vernon. I really knew little about this destination except that it was the estate of our first president, General George Washington.
I was excited to see this place for numerous reasons, one of which was that it had struck me throughout my time in DC how little I had learned about or seen about our very first president. Granted the tallest monument and the city itself bear his name, but there are countless books about Lincoln and many others in gift shops throughout every museum in DC...not so with Washington, but a trip to Mount Vernon definitely gave me a great view of the life of a man who was brave in a way that was significantly different than others that are honored. He was the first president. And because Mt. Vernon really gives you a look into how this man lived by showcasing an outstanding estate that is ideally situated in hills with the Potomac River at the back of the land, it is easy for me to think of how daunting it must have been for him to head up this great experimental government. There had been no one that had held this office before him. There was no one’s example to follow. There were no traditions and regulations to lead him in how it was he was supposed to go about leading a brand new nation with a brand new system of government. And while I hate to use the term maverick because Palin and McCain have given it a meaning that make most laugh. I do believe that General George Washington may very well have been a maverick. It is apparent from the estate that he was at very least wise, humble, and able.
My attempts to describe a man, who without having forced term limits, turned the new government over to the people by allowing them to choose their own president after serving just eight years in a very significant office are inadequate. The estate is well-preserved -- and preserved through absolutely no federal and state funding, but by a private organization, Mount Vernon’s Ladies’ Association -- and is a pastoral and lovely setting to learn about the wonderful and wise man who led our country through its infancy.
We stayed at the estate until almost four o’clock and had a long drive waiting ahead of us...We certainly could have stayed longer...and I’d love to visit again...(Travel Tip #6... Either at the end of your visit to DC or in the middle of your visit as a lovely break from the hustle and bustle of the city life of DC, plan an entire day to learn, relax, and enjoy the home of the father of our country...It really does feel like home...and I think will likely give you a different view of a man who like many of our fathers was courageous, self-sacrificing, and a very good leader to a not always so great group of ‘kids’....)
As we left, little Clara said several times...Bye bye DC....Bye bye DC...
And so we bid DC farewell, so very thankful for the experiences I had and have shared as I went to a place I truly believe every American should, if possible, visit at some point in their life...
It is a lovely city that has shown me in lovely ways some things I never knew about America and a lot of things about what it means to be an American...
“... anything so delightful as Washington I have never seen elsewhere. There were a mingled simplicity and grandeur, a mingled state and quiet intimacy, a brilliancy of conversation—the proud prominence of intellect over material prosperity which does not exist in any other city of the Union.” ~M.E.W. Sherman
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