September 16, 2009

General Ulysses S. Grant speaking with Elizabeth Grant, Julia Grant,Ulysses S. Grant III & Ida Grant/widow of deceased U.S. Civil War Soldier.

This is one of the most beautiful moments ever captured of our family. It was such a privilage to be able to participate in the wake & funeral of a young civil war soldier.

I was proud to be able to represent his widow and recieve the sword in his family's stead.

My children, Trinity & Turner, will remember this week forever as well. It is not very often that one gets to participate in a living, breathing lesson of history and how it applies to our day to day lives. As a homeschool family, I think we have truely been able to drive home what history is all about...honour, courage, love, sacrifice, bravery, chivalry, respect, and all of the good qualities that are the threads in a beautiful tapestry of life.

This moment went beyond moaning and groaning about schedules, how tight my corset was squeezing, and whose call was missed on a cell phone or an iPhone, or whatever your codependent contact machine of choice is...the daily grind is mundane...that's why I gave up my cell phone. No offense to anyone who relies on their cell phone for important communication...very sorry.....

Depending on whether or not you can talk on the phone at any given moment is not what life pivots around. It is a composition of sorts...with harmonious memories interweaving to ring out something quite beautiful and memorable. Sometimes these compositions are virtuous and inspiring, and really remind us of how people can pull together for a cause that is above and beyond what they normally choose to care about during the day. This is what this ceremony was to me. Not the buttons or the bones, but the person who fought a war that changed history. A history that I do not understand too well...thanks to boring textbooks and uninteresting highschool presentations of its makeup, but I did understand what happened on this day.

Strangers pulled together to honor the fallen man who chose to fight for what he believed in. We need more of that in our society of the laissez-faire. People have to stand up for something and stand tall. This event made me stand a little taller.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Thank you also to the Saratogian for taking this photo. Because I was not offered a model release form, I have taken it upon myself to borrow the photo for family, friends and other bloggers to see, but the photo does belong to the Saratogian of Saratoga Springs, NY.