Melancholy or no, visiting we will go

I have been feeling melancholy lately. Abuse of my "vices" has been rampant. I've eaten too much, had a glass of wine every night and generally haven't felt that motivated. I know something is really wrong because despite my love for writing/tweeting/engaging this has been difficult for me lately too. I am thankful that an unexpected visit forced me to get out of the house and explore this wonderful city I live in.

This week my father-in-law and his wife came to town and our entire family visited the Martin Luther King National Historic site. This was wonderful and much needed family time even if I wasn't the best company. On Monday it was one of the hottest days I can remember this summer but we trekked to the National Park and embraced the history that lives there. The National Park is home to Dr. King and his wife's final resting place and is located a mere two blocks away from the home that he grew up in. Tours of the King homestead are available but unfortunately all of the tours were filled. This did not hinder our enjoyment of the park.

The walkway leading to exhibition hall is the Civil Rights Walk of Fame. It is clearly a work in progress but beautiful plaques are inlaid in the sidewalk leading to the exhibition hall. Prominent notables and supporters of civil rights have footprints here.





We explored the museum chronicling the work of Dr. King during the civil rights movement.



We walked through the rose garden dedicated to various civil rights leaders and surrounded by the words of insightful children, the leaders of the future.






We saw the Behold sculpture which is dedicated to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King.
I am sure it was influenced by a scene from Roots and it also reminds me of Mekhi's first moment on planet Earth.
Mekhi frolicked on the grounds of the sculpture.




And we viewed the reflecting pool and the final resting place of the Kings.




The Eternal light burns on.



Comments

Leslie said…
I would L O V E to go there someday! Thanks for giving such a wonderful tour. Looks like a beautiful place...

Happy WW!
It must have been amazing to see those things in person!
Michelle said…
That blue water looks so refreshing. I would have jumped right in!
ParentingPink said…
What a wonderful tribute and pictures to go along with it!
Jeanette said…
Wow, how lucky you are to live so close to all of that!
Renee,
I'm so glad you're finding ways to shake off the melancholy. (I can definitely relate.) And I love seeing those pics. Can you believe I was once in your town and DIDN'T visit the King Historic site? Must rectify that situation- soon.

Erica
jmt said…
What a wonderful park. I've never had the pleasure of visiting Atlanta (except the airport) and I know there are a lot of things I'd love to see down there. I should have taken advantage of Hubs' cousin living there, but he's since moved back up here. Someday....we'll get there. Maybe it'll be on the list of the next family vacation. Thank you for sharing. Those were great pictures.
Don Mills Diva said…
Looks beautiful.

I would love to visit Georgia one day - so much to see there.
TRochelle said…
I have this trip as our next vacation destination. I looked at your pictures last night and I was in awe. I just had to come back and look again. This is truly a road must travel post.
hicksgirl93 said…
The King Center is a wonderful place. I took my children there last year and we did the tours along with everything else.
What a great experiance. I've been thinking of taking them again this year. This was a good motivator. BTW, your pics are great.
I love it there. I especially liked seeing the clothes and other items they used during the time of the civil rights movement. In a way it makes them feel alive. I hope that Neverland becomes a museum. I would love to see MJ's house and items.


Hang in there and don't beat yourself up about being off your game a bit. We all get there sometimes.
Ali said…
Love that picture of Mekhi and the footsteps! You know, I'm kind of in a rut, too. I think maybe for me it's because it's the end of summer, I haven't accomplished what I needed to so I'm stressing about that and feeling guilty that I haven't been able to visit very many blogs. I'm hoping that when school starts I can get back into a different and healthier routine:)
anymommy said…
Lovely. The comparison of Mekhi's birth to the statue was fabulous. I'm glad you had a good time.
Colette S said…
I would love to visit this place. I'm glad you went even though you weren't feeling well.

Hope you'll start feeling better soon and find what is it that's making you low.
Anonymous said…
What a perfectly inspiring place to visit, expand the mind, rejuvenate your thoughts, your motivation, your journey.

I hope you less melancholy very soon!

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