For the past three months, in lieu of music, I’ve been listening to a steady concert of background noises outside the office-loft window: the unmistakable beep-beep-big-equipment-backing-up-beep, the start and stop of diesel engines maneuvering, the creaks and crashes of huge slats of stone coming in and out. Since August, the city has been renovating the memorial half a block from my house.
But this morning things sounded a bit different, so I went downstairs for a peek. I saw this:
And a few hours later, this:
Nothing. The workers, the trucks, the beeps—gone.
I had been noticing progress, but I didn’t realize this massive project was suddenly just…done.
And while I’ll admit I’ve wrestled with whether the refreshed marble, and flagpole, and plaques are the best place for our city dollars right now (or was this done through donations?!), I do absolutely believe these names need to be honored and remembered.
And I do absolutely find it beautiful and ironic and perfect that the trucks drove off today.
Veteran’s Day.
Thank you to all the brave souls who have fought in all kinds of ways for my freedom. Thank you.
by julie rybarczyk
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