Washington D.C.~In Honor of Our Veterans

I’m sleepy.

It’s a little after 8:00 a.m. and I’m sitting at church before the early service while Trevor is in band practice. If you know me, you know I’d rather be home in my bed planning to come to the 11:0o service.

I’m trying to get used to my new WordPress blog. I could post so quickly on blogger, but this is taking a bit longer to learn, and life is super busy right now. My brain is tired!

So, in an attempt to get used to this new process and give you guys something to look at (provided you haven’t forgotten about me by now 😉 I though I’d post some pictures of our trip to Washington DC. We made it just before Sandy hit the northeast. After five days in Washington DC with 115 eighth graders, we made it home at 1:00 a.m. on the Sunday morning that Sandy hit.

It was a whirlwind trip, leaving at 5:am on Tuesday morning and touring Washington DC from 7:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. every day through Friday, then hitting Kings Dominion on Saturday on our way home.

Although it was a busy trip, I left with a new appreciation for our veterans. Arlington Cemetery and the tomb of the unknown soldier left me speechless. And believe me, that’s hard to do.

Now that I think about it, I’m probably just still sleepy from the trip!

Okay, I’ll let the pictures upload while he preaches…

Now that I’ve heard the sermon for today I have to share a little more about my Washington trip.

We went to Union Station to let the kids shop, eat, and have a little free time. I was enjoying some free myself without kids, checkout out a menu and a much needed salad bar when a very tall man with a full beard, dressed in all black and somewhat intimidating approached me from behind and asked me point blank if I’d buy him dinner. I really don’t know why I was surprised. After all, we were in a train station in a big city, but I suppose I still had my Simpsonville brain on.

My first thought was I must have the word “sucker” written on my forehead. But thankfully, my Jesus eyes quickly shifted my paradigm.

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40 Msg)

I don’t know this man’s story, and I only had a brief encounter with him. But I did buy him a good meal and have the brief opportunity to wish him good luck on his journey, but more than luck, God’s blessing. I shared with him Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Enjoy the pics! Wish we could have had an effect on the election while we were in Washington 🙁 Four more years. Sorry my friends. Keep praying for our country and our president—whether he’s the one you voted for or not.