Liberty

It's been a long day. Up at four and onto the airport shuttle at five. Though we're less than thirty miles from home, we stayed in a hotel. A friend brought us and we thought 9:00 pm. was a far better hour than 4:00 a.m. to make the drive.

We're preparing to land at Newark, New Jersey. As we come out of the clouds New York is on our left. "Look! There it is," B. whispers to me.

I look across the aisle through the window. Every head is turned in the same direction.

She stands in the harbor, torch held high. Lady Liberty.

A collective "Ah" breathes through the plane.

No blase "been there, done that." The symbol of America's promise of freedom stirs our hearts. I breathe in deeply, swelling with what? Pride? Gladness? The thrill of possibility openly proclaimed? All of those, and more.

She's one of the last sights we see of American soil. How fitting for us. We are headed to France.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from France. France values liberty and equality as we do. Their gift honored our commitment to freedom.

The next landmark we'll see is the Eiffel Tower. But first, to sleep.