What Would They Think?

We started our week with a 3 AM wake-up on Monday morning to get to the airport in time for our very early morning flight up to Philadelphia.  Al had a series of meetings to attend there, and I tagged along because I had never spent any time in Philadelphia and there were a lot of things there that I wanted to see.

As it turns out, there are still a lot of things there that I want to see!  Many of the sites I had looked forward to seeing were closed due to the government shut-down.  But in spite of that, it was a pleasant trip.

It was raining when we got there, and raining when we left yesterday, but in between were two very nice fall days.  While the husbands were in their meetings, my friends and I - Terese from Bern, Switzerland, Joanie from Portland, Oregon, and Jan from Seattle, Washington - spent two fun days exploring.  We stayed in the city on Tuesday, walking and laughing and seeing some historical sites and eating good food. We went to City Hall and Reading Market and Society Hill.  To the Fabric District and to Antique Row.  We walked a lot.  A lot.  My feet and legs are still screaming about it!

On Wednesday we ventured out of the city to tour two gardens and a home which had all previously belonged to members of the DuPont family. 

It was all great fun.  But I'm still a bit disappointed that the two places I most wanted to see, since I had never been to Philadelphia before, were closed.  The Liberty Bell was one of those places, and I did get to see it, although from a distance.  The bell is enclosed in glass and sits inside an open pavillion on the side of Independence Park.  We couldn't get into the pavillion, but I was still able to see the bell from a distance.

As we walked on up Independence Mall, we could see protesters on one end, and hear them chanting "No More Shut Down".  And there at the other end was Independence Hall.  We couldn't go in there.   In fact, no one was even allowed to stand on that side of the street.  Apparently government shut-downs extend to the sidewalk!

But I did get to see Independence Hall.  And get a photo.

As I stood there looking at Independence Hall, I couldn't help but think about the men who sat in that building.  Who signed the Declaration of Independence.  Who debated and agreed on the Constitution.  About the men who fought and died in the Revolutionary War, and about the women who supported them. 

If they could see us now, what would they think?

"Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."  Leviticus 25:10 KJV)