Soon after the FCC decision to regulate the internet, I was offered a scholarship from Amerians For Prosperity (with whom I volunteer locally) to attend an Internet Freedom Symposium for conservative bloggers in Washington, D.C. At first I was apprehensive (Bethany isn’t fully weaned yet), but with the encouragement of Dave and my mom (who came up to help with the girls), I decided to accept. I left mom with two pages of instructions to let her know all our little daily routines. My biggest concern was that Bethany is only 15 months and still wakes at night to nurse, though she takes a sippy cup during the day. Grandma had to get up with her a few times at night, but other than that, things went smoothly, which was a great weight off my mind.
I’m so glad that I went! This was my first visit to out nation’s capitol. I arrived the morning that the 112th Congress was sworn into office. From the window of my taxi cab, I could see lines of people standing outside the capitol building in the icy wind and sunshine, waiting to watch history. I was struck at how no matter where you looked, there was another historical site to remind me of our nation’s unique history and heritage.
As we drove by the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument, I couldn’t help but reflect on what it had cost our founders to give us the freedoms we take for granted. They put their lives on the line and risked everything so that they could leave their children and grandchildren a nation that respected liberty, limited government, and the rule of law. We have been given the awesome responsibility of preserving liberty for the next generation.
Especially intriguing to me was the way that our hosts spoke about the capitol, the constitution, and the amazing heritage on display all around us. They were in love with our nation’s capitol, and they made me fall in love with it, too. They spoke about how much they loved the monuments and history, and (for those who lived in D.C. and the surrounding area) how inspiring it was to work to uphold that legacy in a place where they were constantly reminded of it.
One of the highlights of my short trip was finally getting to meet author and blogger Barbara Curtis. Though this is the first time we had met in person, Barbara has been an inspiration and mentor to me, both as a mother and a blogger. We had lunch and chatted for three hours (together with my old high school friend Serenity, whom I had not seen in 10 years and had graciously volunteered to pick me up from the airport). That evening I went with the other bloggers to a reception at the Capitol Hill Club to celebrate the swearing in of the new congress, and the next day was back-to-back speakers at the Net Neutrality seminar.
My digital camera died the first day, so I picked up a disposable camera at a drugstore to snap a few pictures. There wasn’t time for sightseeing anyway, and I only got a picture of the White House because the taxi driver agreed to pull over for a quick photo-op on the way back to the airport. This was a whirlwind 48-hour trip for me, since I needed to get back quickly to my little ones. But I hope someday to be able to take the whole family and be able to see the sights, soak up the history and teach my children about their nation’s heritage.
No comments:
Post a Comment