I'm Back!

If you missed me - I checked out for a week.

We have been on a much needed vacation to Williamsburg, Virginia. I didn't talk about it prior to our leaving, just in case there are miscreants that happen upon this blog. And while I welcome any readers- even miscreants -I would prefer that they not know when I am away from my home.

I have been truly refreshed and - I think - inspired by this trip.

This is the first educational trip R. and I have taken in our nearly twenty years of marriage (well, I did visit the U.S.S. Alabama during a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama). It has been something of a dream for us to be able to take our children to explore the rich history that makes up this great nation. We tried to wait until they both could endure such activity and at ages 9 and 6 - they're close. I was very impressed with them - AA at six, was obviously bored at times but he stuck with it.

We took in the Historic Triangle of the Williamsburg area: Jamestown - the oldest English settlement, Colonial Williamsburg - a living history museum portraying life in the 18th century, and Yorktown - the site of the last major conflict of the Revolutionary War.

The last stop this morning on our way out was a return to the Jamestown Settlement gift shop for the kids to tap out their souvenir savings. This was a planned purchase: AA would buy an authentic-looking sword and Ab would buy an authentic-looking bow and arrow.

When we finally got home (after 10 PM) they came alive with anticipation. They planned the creation of an Indian Village similar to the one we saw at Jamestown and a Continental Army Encampment like the one we saw at Yorktown. In a short time they had their newly purchased weapons on hand. Ab had pulled out a t-shirt with fringes that she had decorated for Thanksgiving some time back, she donned an inverted skirt (to give a rough, fringed appearance). AA wore his tri-cornered Patriot hat and found some appropriate shoes and tucked the bottom of his pants into his white socks. He spoke of being George Washington - the Commander in Chief, Ab asked about feasible admission prices to her "village".

Now at this point, I don't harbor a lot of hope that this enthusiasm for the history of our nation will linger at it's current level, but perhaps a seed has been planted.

For me, I have found a fresh admiration for the founders; for America and her unique origins - for the remarkable grace of God that has covered us through the centuries!

It all came to bear on Wednesday night. The kids and I had ridden bicycles down to the General Store leaving Mom with a few minutes of sanity. When we returned, Hannity and Colmes was on and they were talking about Obama and Obama's wife and McCain his position on something... and I realized that for almost a week I had been removed from today's politics.

In recent years, I have tried to even avoid Hannity and Limbaugh during vacation in an effort to really leave it all behind for a time. My last exposure the political scene had been a tortured attempt at hearing Rush Limbaugh on the trip up to Virginia on the preceding Friday.

But the contrast between the deep, sacrificial -almost sacred - politics of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and their contemporaries and that of the shallow, self-serving political "dainties" of today was palpable.

We have drifted so far.

If the inspiration in me holds out - and I hope it does - you will read more about this in later posts, but I want to close this post with an experience that brought tears to my eyes.

We toured the Capitol building where the Royal Governor of the Virginia colony had once sat. Opposite his side of the building was the "people's" side where the House of Burgess met during the time that England still ruled the colonies.

The attractive elderly lady dressed in 18th century elegance spoke to the group in passion as she talked of Patrick Henry and how he had on that very location - thrown down the gauntlet as he declared to the other representatives that "taxation without representation is tyranny!". She said a young William and Mary student had visited the chambers that day to hear the proceedings and was struck with those words. His name was Thomas Jefferson and some time later he would pen the very words that smoldered - unexpressed - in the hearts of all that loved liberty as he wrote the Declaration of Independence.

How pale our current "crises" grow in the light of the great challenges to which these few gave themselves!

Did they know? Did they have any idea of how the nation they helped set in motion would flourish?

Someone knew.

I think those founders knew that if anything would come of their efforts it would be because He willed it.

What a privilege to live in America. What a blessing!