Celebrating Lincoln

Today we visited Ford's Theater. Close by was Hard Rock Cafe and I wanted to go because I had never been to the Washington DC Hard Rock Cafe Before.


FORD'S THEATER


The theater box that President and Mary Lincoln sat with Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris.

Clara Harris and Henry Rathbone were recently engaged when they were invited by the Lincolns to join them at Ford's Theater.
Immediately following the shooting, Rathbone jumped out of his seat and grappled with Booth. Booth stabbed Rathbone in the arm and leapt from the theater box.
Rathbone never forgave himself for letting Booth get away. He and Clara married and moved to Germany. On December 23, 1883, Rathbone recreated his own version of that fateful night 18 years earlier: he shot and killed Clara and stabbed himself. When the police arrived he claimed there were people living behind the pictures on the wall. He died in an asylum 28 years later.

John Wilkes Booth wrote in his diary, "I struck boldy, and not as the papers say. I walked with a firm step through a thousand of his friends, was stopped, but pushed pn. A colon was at his side. I shouted Sic semper before I fried. In jumping broke my leg. I passed all his pickets, rode sizty miles that night with the bone of my leg tearing the flesh at every jump. I can never repent it, though we hated to kill. Our country owed all her troubles to him, and God simply made me the instrument of his punishment. The country is not what it was. This forced the Union is not what I have loved. I care not what becomes of me. I have no desire to outlive my country..."

The dagger that John Wilkes Booth used to stab Major Henry Rathbone after shooting Abraham Lincoln. The dagger is engraved with the words: "Liberty" and "America."



Tickets from the April 14, 1865 play at Ford's Theater:

The day it all took place, my birthday :^/


The Ford's Theater was one of my favorite places we visited. One of my favorite things about traveling is getting a closer look at history. The theater visitors center had tons of artifacts and information on President Lincoln and on Booth. They had posters that outlined what they did every single hour from 8am-10:15pm when the shooting took place.


When we headed from the Visitors Center to the actual theater we walked down a hallway. A clock was ticking away the seconds very loudly. On one side of the hallway we read what Lincoln did that day, and on the other side of the hallway we read what Booth did that day. The theater itself was very interesting because the tour guide told us lots of things I never knew before. I learned that nobody questioned Booth being in the theater because he was the "Harrison Ford" of that time. (A very popular well-known actor.) They also told this story:
"On April 11 Lincoln revealed an eerie dream, much to Mary's horror. Hearing the sounds of weeping coming from somewhere in the White House, he had left his bed and made his way to the East Room. There he met with a sickening surprise. 'Before me was a catafalque,' said Lincoln, 'on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a throng of people, some gazing mournfully upon the corpse, whose face was covered, others weeping pitifully.
"Who is dead in the White House?' I demanded of one of the soldiers. 'The President' was his answer. 'He was killed by an assassin!'"

THE HOUSE WHERE LINCOLN DIED

LoL. Has to be the most creative name in the world. :^)

Me and my fun travel buddies.

The Front Parlor.
"In this room, Mary Lincoln grieved between visits to her husband's bedside. She spent most of the night on a black horse-hair sofa... Among the many people that tried to console Mary that night were her eldest son Robert, and Miss Clara Harris (who accompanied them to the theater that night).
The bedroom where Lincoln laid unconsience until he passed away the following morning.

Washington DC Temple

Me and Alli:

Me and Kjersten:

Me and Mike:

The Visitor's Center had an exhibit called "The Healing Power of Christ." It was portions of Christ's life sculpted into bronze by an artist named Angela Johnson.
I absolutely loved it! And because I am a nerd about this sort of stuff, I took pictures of almost all the sculptures plus the signs next to them. But I typed in the signs so that you can just read what they say instead of trying to read the picture.


BE THOU CLEAN
"And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if though wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him." Luke 5:12-13
Outward sickness has obvious need of healing. But what of the sicknesses of the heart: loneliness, sin, fear, anger? Each of us, like the man afflicted with leprosy, must fall in humility at the feet of Jesus and plead for healing.

OH MY FATHER
"And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God." Luke 6:12
"Messiah though He was, He was profoundly conscious of His dependence upon the Father, whose work He had come to do." James E. Talmage
"Jesus' meekness and all-consuming love for His Father in Heaven is the perfect example for us in our own upward reaching. Prayer is the loving communion between a perfect, loving Father and His child."

REACH IN FAITH
"After His resurrection Jesus appeared to the apostles on several occassions. The first time, the apostle Thomas was not present, and he refused to believe that Jesus had been resurrected until he could see and touch Him himself. When Thomas finally did see Jesus, the Savior taught an important lesson:
"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast sen me, thou has believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." John 20:29
"One day we will see our Savior face to face, but until then He asks us to reach out to Him in faith and believe."

GETHSEMANE
"And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not I will, but what thou wilt." Mark 14:32-36



LET HE THAT IS WITHOUT SIN
"Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayst thou?... But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her... And they... being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one... When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." John 8:4-7, 9-11

ONE THING IS NEEDFUL
"A certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou are careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42
"Through His loving words to Martha, Christ invites each of us to refocus on what is most needful. This "good part" cannot be taken from us."

IT IS I, BE NOT AFRAID
"And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid." Matthew 14:26-27
"Fear is one of the most powerful and common human emotions. But it is the opposite of faith. Faith in Jesus Christ gives us strength to face and conquer the challenges life brings. Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him. Knowing that even though you do not understand all things, He does."

HIS GATHERING
"O ye house of Isreal who I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart." 3 Nephi 10:6
"Will we have the humility and wisdom to live so that we can know the exquisite joy of being "gathered" by Christ?"

LAZARUS, COME FORTH
"Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." John 11:21-25

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON
"God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820. Joseph describes this experience in his own words:
'I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.... When th light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other---This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" Joseph Smith History 1:16-17

BECAUSE OF LOVE
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
"Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour...
And I, if I be lifted up from this earth, will draw all men unto me." John 12:27,32
"The Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sons of his people." Alma 7:13
"The Lord your Redeemer suffered... the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto Him." Docterine & Covenants 18:11
"All this Jesus did because of love."

COME UNTO ME
"As the apostle Paul taught, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6
"The Savior of mankind personified the divine attributes of strength, love, compassion, and mercy. All who come unto him will feel his tender love for them."

I really loved visiting the Visitor's Center and taking a moment to focus on Christ's life; His teachings and His sacrifices. I do believe that we will see Him again one day and that it is only through Him that our families can be together forever. I am thankful for that knowledge and for the peace it brings into my life because I love my family so much and I want to know them and feel that love throughout eternity.

Monday Evening

After visiting Grace and Kay and picking up everyone else from Arlington Cemetery we headed over to the Jefferson and George Mason memorial. We stayed out until dark and we were able to catch fireflies. It was beautiful.

The Jefferson Memorial

There were four quotes surrounding Jefferson in his memorial. This one was my favorite:
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just. That His justice cannot sleep forever. Commerce between master and slave is despotism. Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free. Establish the law for educating the common people. This is the business of the state to effect and on a general plan."
Another said: "Almighty God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens... are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of Our Religion... No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."



"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights governments are instituted among men. We... solemnly publish and declare, that these colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states... and for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honour."

"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."









George Mason Memorial

"I...look'd forward to...Independence,...and will risque the last Penny of my Fortune, & the last Drop of my Blood upon the Issue." -George Mason, 1778

"George Mason belonged to the genteel Virginia plantation society that cultivated some truly extraordinary leaders. George Washington regarded Mason as his mentor and Thomas Jefferson described him as "the wisest man of his generation." He devoted himself to achieving American independence, despite being a widower with nine children to raise. Mason helped draft the Fairfax Resolves that recommended a "continental congress" to preserve colonial rights. In 1776 Mason wrote the landmark Virginia Declaration of Rights that not only inspired the American Declaration of Independence, but also France's 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and the United Nations' 1954 Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

Strolling along the Potomac River at dusk. Um... need I say, we LOVED the fireflies! We caught a number of them, (and always set them free...).


To end the night we had Alli wax everyone's eyebrows. Ugh... Kjersten has an ultra powerful microwave and the wax melted all over! It sure was some fun cleaning it up :)