Hallowed Ground

This past week, like Margaret, I also spent time in Northern Virginia with my sister-in-law. I had some great experiences there and learned some things that I hope to carry with me.

The first thing that I learned is what a truly neat person my sister-in-law Alicia is. Having never spent any one on one time with her, due to our large family and my brother Nate always being around as well, I never really got to know her. We had a great time shopping, cooking, and simply talking. I was worried that conversation would be difficult considering that we don't know each other all that well, but it flowed very easily.

I also learned that I although I have a long temper fuse most of the time, I can have a very short fuse when it comes to stress. It was very hard for me to leave because Hedgie had broken her leg and the splint the vet devised had slipped off. I was very anxious, but went anyway and had a great time. I simply need to stop and look at the big picture before I go off the deep end.

The most important lesson that I learned in Virginia was one of humility. It can at one of our country's most revered sites, Arlington National Cemetery. Being that it was a beautiful day in July, it was crawling with tourists. We trekked to the obligatory sites, such as the Tomb of the Unknowns and JFK's eternal flame. What I really wanted to see, however, was way in the back corner, in one of the oldest sections...I made my pilgrimage to pay homage to a man who saved thousands if not millions of lives. Section 3 is a beautiful plot with majestic oaks and sweeping hills. Nestled among much more ostentatious tombstones for people certainly not famous and memorials was the simple, black granite monument to Walter Reed, bacteriologist. Being as passionate about microbiology (well, let's be honest, germs) as I am, this man is awe-inspiring to me. With almost no modern technology whatsoever, he solved the riddle of yellow fever. The goosebumps that ran along my arms were not those of fear or discomfort, as I used to experience in a cemetery, but goosebumps of awe. For any microbiologist, this truly was hallowed ground.

Walter Reed
"He gave to the world control over that great scourge yellow fever."