After extensive research to find a place to stay within a driveable distance in one day, we are headed to Maryland. It’s not a long distance but when you are staying off highways any distance becomes a whole day adventure.
We are driving along for a couple of hours and suddenly realize that the road to our destination is taking us right by Gettysburg. We HAVE to stop at Gettysburg
We have all learned about Gettysburg but how many of us understand the length and depth of what happened there? We have always heard about President Lincoln speaking there, but why did he speak there?
And his speech. Have most of us really paid attention to the words and understood the reason that he was saying those exact words and how the entire world was reacting to those words in real time?
Kate, the woman who sold us our entry tickets, had been a high school history teacher for 38 years. She said she has repeatedly returned for the movie and tour. I asked her “isn’t it macabre to go back over and over?” She said “ no, I want to honor these people. We would not be here but for them. I want to know them.”
We sat and watched the movie, visited the museum. I was overwhelmed.
As we went out I went back over to Kate and said “thank you for your words. Now I understand. I am going to go out to my vehicle and cry.”
The loss was so huge. Much bigger than we can wrap our minds around. Right here in Maryland families were divided, brother fighting brother. Lives were broken and lost.
Previously they were words on a page, a lesson in school, a theme for a movie.
Now I understand. I really understand.
