We entered on the bottom floor and people were there putting together some event that was happening that afternoon. A man came up to us and asked if we would be interested in hearing a speech that he was doing. He was friendly enough, and seemed rather genuine, (and said that it was only a few minutes) so we agreed. He went into a room and came back out with a colonial hat and coat on. He introduced himself as Patrick Henry and he recited the speech given in 1775 to the Virginia Convention (best known for the line "Give me liberty or give me death"). It was a beautiful oration of the speech. The acoustics in the building made his voice echo. His passion and emotion was very moving. It stirred my soul, it made me proud to be American. It made me proud of the Founding Fathers.
After the speech, we recited an Oath of Citizenship and then we were able to sign our names on that oath. It was a really neat experience. It was just the five of us and 'Patrick Henry'. When we were giving the oath, Jane was babbling and participating and it was so cute!
After we toured the building, we went outside for a picnic. I love the cooler weather. Unfortunately, the grass was a bit wet, so we picnicked on a puddle. We played checkers and kickball on the field. It was a lovely afternoon.
What a fun day -- and a great chance for some really good learning experiences. It is amazing to realize what freedoms we have as a nation, and that we take those freedoms for granted. Hurrah for all of you! Sorry for Mark, hope he's feeling better --
ReplyDeleteWOW! You have had a busy-with-lots-of-outings week! It all looked fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about your depression issues. I have a friend (someone that I work closely with in my church calling) that deals with similar stuff and it's hard for me to know what to do or how to act. Hearing a little about it helps people like me (who don't understand it) too. I think one thing to keep in mind is that most people really do want to help, they just don't know how. And the last thing they want to do is say the wrong thing. It's the same deal, I've learned, with the adoption issue. There are certain things that people just can't understand unless they've dealt with it personally but most people try out of sincere concern.
P.S. Jane is getting SO big!