On this beautiful day I headed back to CT and decided to first stop at Arlington National Cemetery to visit my father's grave. With the help of a kind woman at the registration desk and a map, I found his grave among hundreds of headstones. There's a hush of sweet silence throughout the cemetery. Tourists and visitors honor the lives given and sacrificed in all of our wars fought for freedom, many of whom are laid to rest there. When one has a loved one buried there, you're issued a pass to drive through the cemetery, and I rode around for a time. I also visited the Tomb of the Unknowns and watched as a young family placed a wreath at the tomb. To my surprise there was a group of veterans each with insignia red caps who were there to witness the changing of the guard. They were an "Honor Flight" group--WW II veterans flown free to Washington from all around the country and each given a care giver for their time in DC. I talked with a grandchild of one of the veterans and he was so proud to be there. I don't know whether any of these veterans knew each other during the war. I can only imagine that their reconnecting was a gift to them--a time to remember their service and remember their comrades. How much I yearn for a time when war is not needed as a solution to discord.
A safe trip home, a heart of gratitude, and prayers for you all as you gather to celebrate Audrey Morgan's life on Monday. I will miss being there.