As we travel the United States we like to visit different churches to experience different styles of worship and teaching.
We chose to end our last day in Washington DC by attending a Sunday morning Service at the National Cathedral.
The National Cathedral is the 6th largest cathedral in the world and the second largest in the United States (the largest is Saint John’s in NYC). It was finished 83 years to the day after it was started (Sept 29 1907-Sept 29 1990) and cost $65 million dollars which was all raised through private donations. More than 200 people are buried in the cathedral including Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller.
After the service at the National Cathedral, we met our friends at Arlington National Cemetery to watch The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and to remember the price of freedom. The day was breathtakingly beautiful. We walked under a blanket of storybook worthy clouds through acres upon acres of sacrifice.
Arlington has a rich history. It was originally owned by the adopted grandson of George Washington, George Washington Park Custis, who willed the property to his daughter Mary Anna Randolph Custis and her husband Robert E. Lee. The Lee family vacated the property in 1861 during the onset of The Civil War and federal troops began using it as their headquarters and camp. Freedmon’s Village was established in 1863 as a way to help slaves transition into freedom. In 1864, after a tax dispute, the cemetery was purchased by the American government from Robert E. Lee and the first military burial took place on May 13th 1864. By the time the Civil War ended thousands more soldiers and former slaves would be laid to rest in the rolling hills of Arlington.
Love,
Jenn
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