Last weekend Rachel came to visit.  Because I had only just started classes, I was partially able to pretend like I could go around and have fun instead of studying all weekend. Plus, I have to take advantage of weekends without natural disasters. I haven’t had as much time to explore DC as I would have liked, but I do enjoy running through my area and as I end every run I pass this restaurant and it always looks so lovely. Rachel and I stopped in for beignets.

We also took advantage of a glorious Saturday to visit the new Martin Luther King memorial and then walked back down the mall stopping at the World War II memorial.  I think that it is my favorite memorial. What is it about water flowing through these memorials that seems so appropriate? I have two favorite parts of the memorial. First, I am always struck by the reflecting pool, where every star and its reflection pays tribute to 100 lives lost in the war. Below the pool is engraved “Here we count the cost of freedom.” As Rachel and I sat beside the fountains, we noticed an elderly couple working their way through the memorial. He was the age to have fought in the war, and maybe I jumped to conclusions, but as he stood beside the pool and removed his hat I couldn’t help but think that some of those stars made him think of names, of faces.

I also love the eloquence of this memorial, particularly this quote that is written on one end of the circle:

“Even against that the greatest of odds, there is something in the human spirit – a magic blend of skill, faith, and valor – that can life men from certain defeat to incredible victory.”

–Walter Lord Author