Gone, But Not Forgotten

Good evening, y'all. I hope everyone enjoys this final weekend in the beautiful month of June. Today's post will be a little bit different from my previous ones. I wanted to start off by dedicating this post to my grandmother, my mother's mother, who left us late Friday night to join our Father up in Heaven. She was 93 years old, and she lived a long and beautiful life. Though my mother was not raised with her, the bond between a mother and her child is not easily broken. I am fortunate that my mother was able to spend time with her during her last days on Earth; further, I am eternally grateful that my grandmother died peacefully and without any suffering. Rest in peace, Grandma Anderson.

Two generations of strong and beautiful women.

The timing of my grandmother's passing, though not unexpected, occurred on a day I was honoring the lives of others. I guess you could say that was the theme on Saturday: respecting and paying tribute to those lost. After an early start to my day, I decided to take a trip up to the Mall and go to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Museum was incredible, and it did a wonderful job walking us through the history of the Holocaust from the rise of the Nazis to American intervention. Perhaps the most powerful exhibit--at least, to me personally--was the display of thousands of shoes worn by the Jewish while enslaved in the concentration camps. Some were so small, they couldn't have been worn by anyone older than the tender age of six.

Photography prohibited inside the Holocaust Museum. But I got this nice picture of the Monument.

Afterwards, I decided to do a little more exploring and check out some of the monuments I hadn't seen yet. First up, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s monument on the coast of the Mall. While it was all impressive, my favorite part of the monument would have to be all the powerful words inscribed all around the statue of MLK. Just a few minutes away stood the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Now, THAT was fascinating. It was almost as if the memorial was a day-by-day walk in the life and the thoughts of FDR. FDR has always been a fascinating character to me, and I believe that it is only fitting that his memorial celebrates his New Deal and WWII accomplishments.

 Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Took long enough for this man to get a monument. #BetterLateThanNever

Scene in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial 

Sunday was a day filled with relaxation and good food. One of the few places I hadn't been yet prior to Sunday was the U-Street neighborhood. U-Street was filled with great shops and restaurants, including the world renowned Ben's Chili Bowl. Just to give y'all some perspective on how good this place is, some of their regular customers include Mr. Bill Cosby and President Obama and his family! It's a legendary spot in D.C., and it happened to be just a few blocks down from a nail salon. Talk about heaven! 

Don't let it fool you; this place was GOOD! 

*Que the mouthwatering* 

Now this is what I call a lunch. Delicious! 

I'm looking forward to this upcoming week. Not only is the House out of session (which, in essence, means less work), but Fourth of July is almost here! Even better, my best friend from High School is coming to visit me! I cannot wait until Thursday; I have a whole lineup of activities in store. But now, I'm just relaxing for the rest of the night. I hope everyone else can do the same! Goodnight!