Since school started up again last fall, we've stayed pretty close to home. As a family, we went camping a few times, and participated in several races and other athletic events, and we spent two nights in New Orleans for Christmas. But in order to build up our travel funds again, we're back on a strict budget, and for us, that means not as much wandering as we'd like. And then came 2018. One mass shooting after another. Well past the point of ridiculousness. Then came the Ash Wednesday/Valentine's Day shooting in Parkland, Florida. Enough is enough.
I wanted to see as many people as possible at the March in Washington, DC. It was spring break, so the kids wouldn't have to miss school. We didn't have plans to go anywhere on vacation, so we were available. We couldn't all go, but some of us could. We booked a trip for Miriam and me.
Last Friday, I picked her up from school, and we took off for a weekend in DC, one of my favorite cities. And a place where I could remind Miriam (and myself!) that as bad as things have seemed in the United Sates lately, we are incredibly blessed to be American. The people, exercising their right to gather, to protest, to work together, and make changes to the status quo. To be a part of a meaningful movement, to feel the energy and excitement, and remember that good can happen when people work together.
We joined approximately 800,000 people in downtown Washington in a peaceful rally, and listened to the passionate speakers. We were part of the tears, and of the joy -- that despite the horrors and loss, that there is a hope for the future. From the looks of it there on the ground, the future is bright. If we can keep from imploding in the meantime.
The oratory skills of the kids on stage -- because everyone who spoke was a kid -- was impressive. So was the musical ability. The poise they have displayed, and the strength in the face of ridicule should be commended. Those in the crowd were a part of it as well -- the cleverness of the signs, from jokes to word choice, to art, to the use of statistics reminded me how great America is, or can be, at any rate.
Jake and Hans joined friends in a the local march, one of more than 800 world-wide, and we will continue to direct our "thoughts and prayers" for those who have suffered due to gun violence. But I've shown Miriam, and reminded myself, that even the average, regular person can make a difference. This wasn't a one-day event, it's a movement. May God bless these efforts, and God bless America.
