Oklahoma City National Memorial

On our way from Lubbock, TX to the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas

the G-man and I spent a night in Oklahoma City.

It was my first trip across Oklahoma 

and I discovered that it is a beautiful state.

The main thing I wanted to do in Oklahoma was to visit the site

where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood.

The place is now known as the 

Oklahoma City National Memorial.

The building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, 

which killed 168 people, including 19 children all under age 6,
and injured more than 680 people.

Half of the building collapsed seconds after the truck bomb detonated. 

The remains of the building were imploded a month after the attack, 

and the Oklahoma City National Memorial was built on the site.
(From Wikipedia.)

The Oklahoma City National Memorial
was dedicated by President Clinton on April 19, 2000,
exactly five years after the bombing.

This plaque explains how the Memorial is arranged.

The bombing would remain the most destructive act of terrorism
on American soil until the attacks of September 11, 2001.

We arrived at the Memorial at dusk.

The sky was partly cloudy and the light 

shining below the clouds gave a somber feel.

I did not expect to be so emotionally moved by seeing this.
It was gut-wrenching to walk around the reflecting pool.
There were people sitting, walking, standing within their own thoughts
perhaps about people who lost their lives, were injured,
or like me, who was so taken by the way the Memorial was designed
as a reminder of the terrible event and of the horrible loss.

The tree in the top photo is the survivor tree, an American Elm,

that overlooked the bombing, the demolishing, and

finally, the construction of the Memorial.

Above and below is a photo of the reflecting pool, 

the Field of Empty Chairs, and a part of the 

Oklahoma City skyline.

This photo is looking toward the east gate where the

time of 9:01 is embedded into stone.

On the west gate the time of 9:03 is engraved.

The small chairs represent the 19 children under the age of 6 

who were killed in the bombing. 

One hundred sixty eight died that day and this

beautiful space is dedicated to those who died,

were injured, and for the city and state that

suffered this atrocity by a madman, a misfit

who was angry with the federal government.

"We come here to remember

 those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever.

May all who leave here know the impact of violence.

May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a fascinating book, easy to read with wonderful character development. Part of the research is from from letters written by the Dodds, Thorton Wilder, Carl Sandburg and a host of others. Ambassador William Dodd and his daughter, Martha, were prolific writers of letters and diaries of their adventure beginning in 1933 from whence much is gleaned about the Nazi party, the officers, and the German people.

William Dodd was a historian and professor who took the post as U.S. Ambassador in Berlin. He was not President Roosevelt's first choice; Mr. Dodd was about 5th down the list, but was excited to accept the position for several reasons. One, he thought this would offer him a higher stature in his field and he thought he would have time to work on an ambitious history of the South that he had begun.

Ambassador Dodd was a man who believed in living simply and within his means which was a departure from most ambassadors who were independently wealthy and did not mind using their own money to have an opulent lifestyle. Although Dodd was quite different from most ambassadors he spoke German fluently and knew the country rather well as he had studied there as a young man. Martha, on the other hand, was quite taken by the richness of the people around her, of the Nazi officers, and other wealthy people in which she came in contact. She was a notorious flirt and in denial as to the true nature of what was taking place in Germany in 1933.

Dodd was sent to Germany by President F. Roosevelt with the mission of encouraging the German government to repay a large debt owed the United States. He also wanted an ambassador who could negotiate the "Jewish problem or question" with the Germans. Roosevelt was appalled at the Nazi treatment of Jews and was aware of the violence that was taking place in Germany.

The journey of the Dodd family in Germany was interesting to say the very least. The Third Reich came fully into power during Dodd's tenure in Berlin. Ambassador Dodd walked a tightrope while in Germany and Martha traveled and made the rounds with people from other embassies as well as high ranking Nazi officers.

The Garden of Beasts is an amazing look into the early era of Nazi rule and the effect it had on the Dodds and on the friends they made in Germany.



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Do More than Coexhist

Do more than Coexhist... Show Respect & Tolerance

Each Saturday a "Faith" article appears in the Life and Arts section of the Austin American-Statesman newspaper. This week  The Reverend John Elford, senior pastor at University United Methodist Church in Austin, explains how Americans can and should "respect other faiths" and do so while staying true to one's own. To start, Rev. Elford points out the "huge change in the American religious landscape" in the last 50 years. "Today, there are as many Muslim Americans as there are Episcopalians or Presbyterians. Los Angeles is the home of the greatest variety of Buddists in the world with more than 300 temples."

"It's a reality that has sneaked up on us, so much so that the United States has become the most religiously diverse nation in the world."

The article is so so well written that I can "hear" the soft spoken voice of this man whom I have never seen or heard. Just over 50 years ago I was baptized into the Sardis Methodist Church in Sardis, Georgia. In those days we were taught from the Bible in Sunday School classes and MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship). The sermons delivered on Sunday were not hellfire & brimstone... at least not in my church. The sermons were taken from Scripture such as the story of the good Samaritan, the birth of Jesus, the three wise men, the Easter story. I do not remember other faiths being denigrated. I remember being taught to follow in the path of Jesus. At no time do I recall being told that I would know when I was saved; until a good, sweet woman began leading the MYF. Our MYF was attended by young people from the Sardis Baptist Church just down the street and as it turns out this woman was a Baptist. Her faith was different. She was convinced that it was not enough to believe in the goodness of Jesus and to do good works and to try to live one's life in that regard. Rather she told us that "you will know when you are saved".

In her case, as she was standing in front of her kitchen window washing dished, the Light shone through and lighted a line in the Bible that she had on the counter. At that point, she knew she was saved. Her recollection disturbed me greatly. No matter how much I read the Bible, prayed, went to Church I never knew I was saved. About 10 years later (when I was 25 or 26) I stopped believing it could be a possibility. (Twenty or so years later I found another church, St. James Episcopal Church in Austin, where I felt more at home. The invitation there is clear: "You are welcome at this table wherever you are in your journey of faith." That is the clearest, most inviting, most tolerant church I have ever attended.)

Religion has become more and more radical here in the Bible Belt and all across the South. Intolerance is the key. The notion that if one does not believe the right way, the Christian way... the Southern Baptist way... then one does not belong; one is to be pitied or vilified. One Southern Baptist woman told a Catholic woman, "you have the wrong religion". I know, I was there when she said it; rather than make an issue of those hearing it let the remark slide. I don't know if that was the right thing to do. Over the years this radical belief seems to be steered (by some, the more radical) by hate & intolerance; there appears to be no place for love and acceptance. It is not a path I wish to follow.

The radical right in our country wants everyone to believe that this is only a Christian nation. As it turns out we are a nation of many religions and each religion should be respected. It is a principle upon which this nation was formed. In the United States of America, the First Amendment in our Constitution states:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Rev. Elford states "it's good to recall that the Jesus who said, 'I am the way', is also the Jesus who welcomed all to his table, including outcasts and political revolutionaries". Elford believes "radical pluralism (that) recognizes the real differences between diverse faith traditions, but also sees beneath the differences a deep desire for communion with the divine and a call for the transformation of life toward a richer, kaleidoscopic community." It is a start. To read his article click on the link below; it is worth the time.

Doing Good Together: Respect other faiths while staying true...

Sunset

The sunset last night was beautiful as seen 

from the deck at Bastrop Brewhouse

downtown near the river.

The old metal bridge is used only as a 

pedestrian and bike way.

It spans the Colorado River and

goes into the heart of the business area.

When we arrived in town last evening

the Homecoming Parade was just ending.

This weekend is going to be a wet one

for any of the activities planned outdoors.

After suffering through a terrible drought and

resultant wildfires last year, we have 

learned to welcome the rain.

Late this afternoon I quickly mowed our yard

because heavy rains are expected over the weekend.

Most of my mowing was done in a light rain,

but it was a warm rain with a light breeze so I endured.

Suffragists: The Fight to Vote

I am ashamed to say that I did not know how much these women suffered to gain the RIGHT TO VOTE for WOMEN. I am appalled that officials (the warden of a prison and even President Woodrow Wilson) condoned the treatment of these brave women.

The next book I read (after finishing In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larsen) will be a book about the Suffrage Movement in the United States. Of course, this was not covered in American history when I was in school or when I taught, at least not the horrors that women went through to get the right to vote. 

More once a book on the subject is found and read. Thank you my sisters.

Fog

This morning the neighborhood was encapsulated in fog.

The whole of our country is foggy with all the chatter about the upcoming presidential election. We hear one thing from one candidate and the opposite from the other one. How do we know what to believe? The Republican candidate says we're doomed if the Democrat is re-elected and the President says the Republican will take us in a downward spiral leaving a mess for our children, grandchildren & perhaps great grandchildren to clean up.

Wouldn't it be terrific that in the long run none of it will make a great deal of difference. Somehow the United States has muddled along through the Great Depression, various wars, the McCarthy Era, the Civil Rights Movement and has come through in better shape than before those events. In the past the humanity of the American people has prevailed, but can we eventually come together on the issues that are dividing us today?
 

It concerns me that people who work hard and struggle to make ends meet for themselves and their families are consistently falling behind the American Dream. It concerns me that my generation (and maybe the one just after mine) may be the last to prosper more than our parents' generation. It concerns me that our education system is in such a mess. It concerns me that our citizens need a health care system that will always be available with or without insurance. It concerns me that we have many families that are homeless and jobless. It concerns me that the banks and large corporations cannot oversee themselves and do what is right rather than exhibit greed. Those are just a few of my immediate concerns about national issues.

Which of the Presidential candidates can steer us out of this mess? How will the Congress work with whichever candidate is elected? I am ready to come out of the fog, how about you?

Education Today...

In this age of Internet Information, one cannot just Google an answer; one must research deeper to make sure of the "information" one is reading. In the 2nd of his 3 beliefs, Dr. David Magill, Director of the University of Chicago (Education) Lab, addresses this in his opening address to his faculty September 2nd.

"I believe that information accuracy and communication will take on more significance than information acquisition."

When I taught school and was a school librarian I taught students to dig deeper, ask questions, do their best to discern facts. I explained that one cannot take an excerpt from someone's speech and call it true, but must be aware of the whole speech and judge it in its original context to validate what one is reading.

I hope that is still being taught, but I fear now students are only being force-fed information in order to pass tests. In many cases in public schools students are no longer taught to think critically.

Oh yes, I can get on a roll!!!

Thought for the Day

Thought for this Saturday...

"Want Less Government, Move to Somalia"

I've been mulling over the meaning & solution for a man wearing T-shirt yesterday morning on at the Hilton Hotel in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL that states: "The Best Kind of

Government is No Government". Solution: I
f you want no government, move to Somalia. There you will find the least government "interference" of anywhere in the world, but there your life may not be worth a plug nickle. So, the new T-shirt slogan should read:

"Want Less Government; Move to Somalia!"

It's a different take on "Love It or Leave It".

If that's not your cup of tea, check out this blog for other solutions: The Masalai Blog

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Eat, Pray, Love was an evocative book. Ms. Gilbert brings the reader into her life and allows us to see her tender character. As I read a sad, defeated individual began to grown within herself and an inner strength began to emerge that she did not know was within her. This strength manifests itself, when in her deepest hour a voice, her voice, from deep within comforted her with these words: "You have no idea how strong my love is!!!"

Throughout we see Liz facing her demons and realizing she has the capacity within herself to love even the saddest, most depressed, pathetic part of her personality. She is able to visit each part and offer love and self-forgiveness. Once she realizes that deep commitment to self she is able to advance in her life.

The book is divided into three parts with 36 chapters in each.

• The first part is in Italy: "Say It Like You Eat It" or 36 tales about the pursuit of pleasure where she eats her way around Rome and becomes fluent in Intalian. 
• The second part is in India: "Congratulations to Meet you" or 36 tales about the pursuit of devotion where she hones her ability to meditate at the Ashram of her Guru (and confront her demons). 
• The third section is in Indonesia: "Even In My Underpants, I Feel Different" or 36 tales about the pursuit of balance where she continues in her quest of meditation & prayer from an ancient Indonesian medicine man. 

Over the course of one year Liz divides her time equally in these three countries and cultures. At the end of the year she returns to real life, as I refer to it, and I wonder how she will re-assimilate herself into life in America after having been in increasingly more intimate and cloistered living arrangements. No doubt it will take a period of re-adjustment to our way of life.


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Bastrop's Farm Street & Historic Chicken Sanctuary

 Bastrop's

Farm Street 

Historic Chicken

Sanctuary

 Austin is known for being a weird city,

the slogan for Austin is

"Keep Austin Weird".

I think Bastrop is pretty odd too

with it's "Historic Chicken Sanctuary",

but I love it!

 A couple of times each month 

I drive down farm street to see

what the chickens are up to.

The roosters were crowing this afternoon

and the hens were pecking about the yards.

 Note the rooster on top of the drums...

it hopped up while I was taking a couple of photos.

 Love may be in the air here.

This yard had the most chickens in it

of any other yard around.

 None of these chickens are owned by anyone...

they just live here.

I suppose many years ago people owned

the ancestors of these chickens,

but these are truly free range chickens!

They roam about and most of the time stay 

in this two or three block area.

These roosters are quite spectacular.

 This girl was off to catch her girl pals.

Indeed this is a great tradition

and I am so glad the city declared

this area a Chicken Sanctuary...

and I love the banners the city placed 

on the light poles.