Dear Liza,
It turns out that the ‘training’ of exercising and eating better to get me ready for SOAK has paid off in other ways, as well. I had two long, lovely walks Friday, with two of my favorite people.
First, Cynthia and I walked around the International Test Garden in Washington Park. It was a bright sunny day, and a lot of roses have started opening up! I didn’t check any of their names, just their scents. This one was the best!
Then we walked down the road a bit to the Holocaust Memorial. This is a solemn reminder of the horrors that the Nazis visited upon 6 million Jews and other people back in the 1940s.
As we looked at the names and read the history, both of us wondered: How could Israel, a country founded after these atrocities, commit those happening now in Gaza? The dark side of human nature left us sadly pondering.
After a few hours of walking and conversation, Cynthia dropped me off at home. Lunch and a rest got me ready for the next outing. Auntie Bridgett was having technical difficulties and needed a walk, so I went.
We ended up at Lone Fir, where we actually FOUND Eloisa McLaughlin Rae Harvey’s grave! She is named on this tall, mossy obelisk, along with her second husband Daniel Harvey and her son, Daniel Harvey Jr.
Eloisa was a woman who led a remarkable life as daughter of Dr. John McLaughlin, “The Father of Oregon”, and wife to two employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company. She traveled to Oregon, Alaska, San Francisco and Hawaii in a day when most women rarely left their hometown.
It’s a quiet miracle how dead people, whether in throngs of 6 million or one by one, give us perspective and allow us to mark their passing.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 