DC Trip cont...

On Friday morning, we went on a self-guided tour through the White House. Nikki recomended that we ask the guards questions. Some of them were very tight-lipped, but there were a couple who seemed to genuinely enjoy telling trivia from their respective rooms.

It's amazing to be in a place where men who have effected the history of the whole world have walked and planned and met together. I understand it's just a stack of marble, but it also represents the country that has fought for freedom and justice for over two-hundred years.

Later that day, Adam and I went to Arlington. It is such a special place. It was a spiritual experience just being there. It was a humbling experience to witness the graves of so many men who have given the ultimate sacrefice in order to ensure the right for all men  and women to be happy. Almost every visitor walks past the seemingly endless rows of white tombstones in reverent silence. In a time when respect is rare, patrons pass through Arlington in order to honor the good men and women buried there. The grounds are kept beautiful and despite the heat of summer, we enjoyed our time walking the grounds.

The photo above depicts a stature comemorating Field Marshal Sir John Dill who was a British Commander in both WWI and WWII. He served in Washington for a large part of his life and was instrumental in the British-American alliance. He developed such a fondness for his work with America that he requested special permission to be buried in Arlington Cemetery, and he was loved by many. A witness at his funeral said, "I have never seen so many men so visibly shaken by sadness."

At the top of Arlington's hill is General Lee's house. Poor Adam wasn't feeling very well that day and I dragged him all the way up to the mansion. He was a good sport, though, but he paid for it later on and I felt bad about my insensitivity. There was just so much I wanted to see that I didn't pause long enough to realize Adam was dragging. The feature that stood most out to me in regard to the mansion was the slave quarters. I kept looking at it and just couldn't get myself to believe that people had actually been kept as slaves in that rundown building. I simply cannot comprehend the reality of it. It makes me so sad, I could almost feel my chest squeezing while I stood in that building reading about the poor people who kept the household running.                                                                             

I kept thinking how hard it must have been for General Lee. A place he and his family had once called home was turned into a memorial for the lives that had been taken under his direction--an eternal reminder of the ugliness of war. It must have been a high price to pay for his betrayal of the North. Perhaps the estate itself wasn't unbearable, but turning into a place to rest for the casualties of a war he help perpetuate must have been a terrible slap in the face.