365 Days of Blessings - Day 41

365 Days of Blessings, Day 41

1. God created us to be intelligent, inventive people.

2. My husband's service to our country. He only served full time for two years, and as an active reservist for 9, with one year inactive reserve, but I am still proud of him for sacrificing his time and talent.

3. The men and women of our country who sacrifice freedom for our freedom. The "great irony" that for us to be free in America, thousands upon thousands have sacrficed their liberties, freedoms, inependence, and their lives.

4. The memorials in Washington, D.C. for our service men and women.

5. The most moving memorial I saw this morning . . . the Korean War Memorial. Every memorial is rich with symbolic details, but the Korean War Memorial is amazing. Nineteen statues of soldiers walking through enemy territory which are reflected in the memorial wall to make thirty-eight soldiers representing the 38th parallel that separates North and South Korean. The half-etched faces of U.S. soldiers in the memorial wall so that when we look at them, we see our own faces in the image. The fountain with the wedge cut out. The flowers placed their daily by the Republic of South Korea. Wow.

6. Abraham Lincoln's memorial. I visited it for the second time today, and I think I got a bit more out of it than I did when I was 12. I didn't remember the flag draped around him, or the placement of his hands.

7. The American History Museum.

8. Wonderful, awesome, amazing, sweet friends who were hosts with the most this last week as we stayed with them in Washington, D.C., borrowed their car, went grocery shopping with them, tried them with our food intolerances, and used their vast knowledge of the D.C. area to our advantage.

9. Being asked to revise a poem, and re-submit it.

10. Having so many ideas in my head, I feel like I'm going to burst. I am so glad that most of next week is time that I am setting aside for my writing.

Bonus: Facebooking, Writing my blog, and enjoying the fun of the internet while mid-flight. I liked flying already, and this makes it even more fun.

Also, I am thankful for the excellent, friendly security staff and police officers who work so hard to keep us safe at our airporsts, and national monuments. (I was having a tough time being thankful earlier when I was "randomly selected" for a special screening at the airport.) Walking by the Police headquarters and F.B.I. building each day as we toured our nation's capital renewed my appreciation for them. Also, learning that the officers who guarded the Declaration of Independence had memorized all of it astounded me.

Genesis 1:3 "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."