Washington DC.....The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

While driving to the beach for Spring Break a few months ago, I was eaves dropping on a conversation my two teenage sons were having in the backseat.  They were discussing how it would be cool to go to the Smithsonian and see all the spaceships and rockets that were there.  When I butted into their conversation they also had lots of questions about the space shuttle Challenger and what it was like to see it explode on TV.  I realized that it was time for the family to take a trip to Washington DC.  My poor husband.  By the time I returned from Spring Break I already had it planned in my mind.  All I had to do was convince him that it was time.

We left very early on Saturday morning and much to my delight there were 32 Korean and WWII Veterans on our flight.  I got a little choked up when the entire plane applauded them.  Little did I know that when we got to the Baltimore Airport they would be welcomed with Firetruck fountains and people stopping to clap all the way through the airport.  I knew then, that it was going to be a great trip.

I learned very quickly that a "short walk" might mean several blocks, if not several miles.  A "short walk" at our house is very literally a "short walk."  We did a whole lot of walking in Washington DC, which was a good justification for the delicious food we would reward ourselves with at the end of each day.   I read Bill O'Reilly's "Killing Lincoln" not long ago so I was really into seeing Ford's Theater, Mary Sarratt's Boarding House, and the Peterson House. All of it seemed so real having read the book.  It was kindof a "downer" that Mary Sarratt's Boarding House is now a restaurant in Chinatown called "Wok and Roll Chinese Restaurant."  We did go eat there one night just so I could see it but it was difficult to imagine John Wilkes Booth conspiring to kill the President here  while I was eating Fried Rice and Chicken.  However, the whole Abraham Lincoln experience was my favorite part.  The Gettysburg Address and parts of his Inaugural Speech are engraved on the Lincoln Memorial walls and it is very very sobering to realize all the emotional decisions this man made for our country.  He truly realized that the ideas of slavery and freedom could never co-exist.  It would never work.  The Union was destined to be split.  After seeing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and The Bill of Rights in the National Archives, you have to realize that President Lincoln was right to be committed to the ideals of what our country was founded on.  I loved watching my boys as they witnessed the "Changing of the Guards" at Arlington National Cemetary.  The numbers of white headstones as you are walking up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is overwhelming.  We proceeded to the WWII and Vietnam Memorials after visiting Arlington.  When you take in the number of lives that were ended in all of the Wars it just makes you realize the sacrifice that men and women and families made for our freedom.

We also took a guided tour around all of Washington.  We saw all of the federal buildings and many many statues that were created to honor different heroes of our country.  We toured the Capital building, which I highly recommend, and finally experienced the Holocaust Museum.  I came away from our trip with many observations.  First and foremost, I believe that we live in the greatest country in the world.  Our founders literally formed a new kind of government that was unprecedented.  They created our Checks and Balances system that has kept our country together.  I am more convinced than ever that all three branches have to answer to the others.  I am also convinced that our country has laws that are in place for a reason.  There are plenty of power hungry, mobster mentality, dishonest people, on both sides of the aisle, who would love to plow their way through to get their way, totally disregarding the laws and the process of answering to each branch.  This is not what our country represents.  

There were are few more things that I noticed while in our nation's capital.  The American Family Unit was very much alive.  I saw families of all races and nationalities enjoying time together.  Children were laughing, learning, and thriving.  I also saw different groups who were making money by entertaining on the street corners.  Everything from trashcan beats to doing flips over people's heads.  They were "working."  They were "earning."  And people, including myself, were paying.  The creative entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well.  The whole time I'm thinking "I love democracy.  I love freedom. I love America."  Little did I know that there was trouble brewing.  We came back to our hotel room to learn of the IRS flagging various conservative groups applying for tax free status.  The next day the story broke about the Department of Justice wiretapping phones and emails.  I chose to ignore it while I was there, although while driving by these two federal buildings it did cross my mind that somewhere down the road my name might be "flagged."  Not for contributing to conservative political groups but for contributing to "Brentwood Baptist Church"  or "Fellowship of Christian Athletes" or "Camp Wonderfully Made."  Scary isn't it?  I also watched as a young, pregnant, Muslim girl knelt to say afternoon prayers on our National Mall.  She was free to do that and nobody bothered her, other than me, who did snap a picture.  But, again, it crossed my mind how Christian prayer has been alienated in various settings.  It also made me wonder if any Muslim political organizations had been targeted by the IRS.  I wonder if any students at Dartmouth who are receiving educational grants and buying parts for bombs have been flagged?   My guess is "no."

I love America and I still think it's a great country, but I also think that things have changed a great deal since those WWII and Korean Veterans on our plane fought for our freedoms.  There has always been evil in the world, which is easy to see when you experience the Holocaust Museum.  But there has also always been those who are brave enough to speak up for what is right.  Not just what is politically correct but what is really RIGHT.  I believe Abraham Lincoln was one of those men and he was murdered for it.  I am ready for someone to "step up" in Washington and lead.  At this point I could care less what color or political party they are.  I want honesty, integrity, true love for our country, and someone with the guts to lead both sides.  Oh, and the "blame game" has to go.  I'm going to be watching the Congressional hearings extra close for the next few days/weeks because I think that our country deserves answers and I think that all of the men and women who have given their lives for the ideals of our country would want citizens to hold people accountable.   

Family Names Represent So Much

When my son, Booth, was born, my husband insisted that he be called by his first name and not his middle name.  In other words, we had tossed around all kinds of family names like William Booth, or John Booth and then just calling him Booth.  This is my maiden name so whether we had a boy or a girl, the name was going to be Booth.  My husband has always been called by his middle name, "Battle" which is also a family name.  Thus, at every doctor's appointment, on every first day of school, when applying for his driver's license,  my husband was always getting called by his legal name "Searcy."  Well, that was his Dad's name, so as a kid, he never liked to be called that.  Afterall, his name was "Battle."    For this reason, he insisted that our children be called by their first name. 

This is a letter my grandfather sent to my granny from WWII.
He refers to himself as "Booth" in the last paragraph.  

About two months ago an interesting thing happened.  Battle's brother shared a newspaper article that detailed some of the "Page" family history.  The article went back several generations, before the Civil War, to describe the members of the family,  who had married who, and the children that they had.  I watched as my husband read this article and then watched as his face and voice changed.  As he was reading who married and who had children and who died, etc.... etc.... there it was...... the story of "William Searcy Battle."    He was the oldest son of Colonel Joel Battle and Sarah Searcy Battle.  Colonel Battle was known for being "noble, generous, and brave to a fault."   His son, William Searcy, was killed at the Battle of Shiloh. 

www.murfreesboropost.com/the-battle-family-gave-its-all-for-the-csa-cms-15895


I don't know how many times I have been asked where the name "Battle" came from.  I can't imagine how many times my husband has been asked that question over the course of his lifetime, but instead of the usual "it's a family name" answer, now it became, "let me tell you about how I got my name."  There was an unbelievable amount of pride and emotion when he finally knew exactly where his name came from and the legacy of the people behind the names.  What a gift this was.  He had always worn the name proudly because he was named after his Dad, but now it became even more special going back several generations.  After all these years, he knew where he came from and what "his people" stood for.

Now this might seem like a "stretch" but I have waited for awhile to do this blog because I really couldn't figure out the way to tie my thoughts together.  I'm going to give it a try because it keeps nagging at me.  Everywhere I turn someone is talking about "what's in a name."  Or our preacher is talking about "the name above all names."  Or we are singing a song at church called "Your Name."  The wheels started turning while we were at the beach for Spring Break.  I was taught at a young age that we are not to "take the Lord's name in vain."  OMG has never been part of my vocabulary, but honestly,  after hearing it a million times a day, you get a little immune to it.  I am not proud of this at all.  So we're at the beach and I start noticing people taking the name of Jesus in vain.  Spring Break is typically taken the week before Easter, so it is during this week that Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter are remembered.  The miniseries, "The Bible" was on and the part showing during Spring Break was the last week of Jesus' life, leading up to the crucifixion.  How awful it was to watch what Jesus did for us all and then to hear his name used for anything other than love and honor.  To hear people say, with disgust, as a filler word, "Jesus Christ" or "Christ" or "Oh my Goddddd."  My Spirit was cringing.   I remember driving down the road with the window down and hearing it loud, from a restaurant parking lot, "Jesus Christ, the wait is 2 hours."  Well, anyway, you get the point.

I take it personally when anyone says to me, with a snicker, "Booth?  where did that name come from?"  or when someone says on the other end of the phone, "His name is Battle?  Okkkkk????"  But I have gotten used to it and usually proudly reply to both, "It's a Southern thing.  We love family names." It occurs to me that my Heavenly Father loves His Son, Jesus. He placed the Name of Jesus above every Name.    While I am so offended when someone spits the name of the One who saved me I must remember that we all need Jesus and He is strong enough to see the heart and not just the tongue.
.....And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.  Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the NAME that is above every NAME, that at the name of JESUS every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth, and every tongue confess that JESUS CHRIST is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Phillipians 2:8-11