Wednesday
All-in-all, it’s been a good day.
Despite the fact that the weather has gone from clear blue skies to dull grey and rainy.

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Today was also the beginning of the State Funeral for former President Ronald Reagan.

I’ve been trying to figure out my stand about the man. He came into office when I was 10 years old. As such, my opinions about him have been… jaded… by the influences of my family; they weren’t too thrilled with him, as I recall. That may have been simply because he was a Republican. (Sidenote: I remember learning something in my high school Civil Liberties class that discussed when Black Americans switched party affiliation, more or less en masse, from the Republican to the Democratic party. But, that was many years ago and I can’t recall the specifics.) I don’t think that I ever really formed a “good” or “bad” opinion of him. I remember thinking that he reminded me of a grandfatherly figure. And I remember that he liked Jelly Belly jelly beans.

I watched most of the ceremony this afternoon. I realized that there is something about the pomp and circumstance of an official event that I enjoy. I remember thinking that the pallbearers were a part of something that few other members of the Armed Forces could claim; I’m wonder if they would ever tell their grandkids something like: “I was a pallbearer in a former President’s funeral procession.”

Beyond all of the ceremony, the speeches, the singing… I was impressed by Nancy Reagan. She has been through a lot in the past week. And to have to endure all of this on national television. For a week. I had a great deal of respect for her and what she has been through as she watched President Reagan succumb to Alzheimer’s Disease. Watching her today, as she walked down Constitution Avenue and on the steps of the Capitol and sitting in the rotunda, there were a few times when her age showed… but she never lost her grace or composure. Until the end. When she was saying goodbye. I noted the shutter clicks of the cameras as she approached the casket and smoothed the flag. I also noted a flurry of clicks when it seemed as though emotions had gotten the better of her. While I am pretty sure that may news agencies will use some of these pictures for their headlines and cover stories, I hope that they aren’t used in an exploitive manner. I can’t imagine how trying it must be to have gone through this in California… and here… and again when they inter President Reagan’s body in California.

In the end, a man who had grown to be loved and admired by a nation has ridden into his final sunset. I hope that he has found clarity, peace and rest. And I wish his family well in their time of sorrow.

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Stray Toasters

Time to head to the gym.

Namaste.