Aristorants: Memorials

I do believe that as we get older we began to view things with a different set of eyes. Lately, I have been moved by our nation's monuments. It's strange, I have read about them and maybe seen them at different points in time. But I really have a new appreciation for them. I took this photo (to the left) recently while touring the national mall. It sits on a plot to the left of the Vietnam War memorial. I think I did a good job capturing the piece. The way the light hits the faces lined by bare tree branches is quite striking. So now I really appreciate just what an honor memorials and monuments are. They seek to capture and memorialize a pivotal point in time, an important part of history. Lincoln is memorialized for his leadership during the great test to the union - the Civil War. FDR is memorialized for his part in helping to lead us through world war and the Great Depression. Undoubtedly, these times, also very critical, will be memorialized in some way. Is Barack Obama worthy? Only time will tell. So far, he is only notable for being the first African American president. He is noteworthy for many other reasons, but only time will tell if his term rises to the level of what George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and FDR. He seems poised to do so, because right now, the country needs a great leader and a new hero to take us out of the darkness that has been the last eight years. Years that has seen one calamity after the next set to the backdrop of war, economic collapse, and the decline of American dominance and prosperity. It's hard to say how America will look on the otherside of this recession...