Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Pictures from the last few weeks

So, as I mentioned, Carrol and Jim were here visiting from Ohio. How great it was to see some family. (Sometimes Hawaii can feel as far away from home as it actually is. That part stinks.)

While Jon and I worked at our jobs for the first 2 weeks of their visit, we did manage to squeeze in some fun and adventure, too. One of the things that we did that was so great was to visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl on Memorial Day for an annual ceremony sponsored by the Honolulu mayor. It was a really touching ceremony, with all 5 branches of service represented. The whole ceremony took an hour. We rode a shuttle bus to and from the ceremony, so we didn't really get to stay after the ceremony ended. But, I got some great pictures that I think sum up American patriotism and the meaning of Memorial Day - honoring those who served and sacrificed for our continuing freedoms.

**A statue of Lady Columbia, also known as Lady Liberty, stands at the top of a long staircase at the top of Punchbowl. Below her likeness is the following poignant quote, taken from a letter written by President Abraham Lincoln to a Mrs. Bixby, a mother who reportedly lost 5 sons during the Civil War.

"The solemn pride that must be yours
to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom"
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** an image of many flags flying in that Memorial Day wind.
There is something about seeing all those flags waving proudly:


**And finally, a gravestone that captured my attention,
that I felt compelled to share:

There is something to be said for a country that celebrates all veterans who have protected and continue to protect our freedom, even if we don't know their names. Makes me feel proud to be an American.

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