One of the defining moments of my life was going to try to pay my respects to Reagan as he lay in state at his Library. My oldest son, a young teen at the time, and I left our home in LA at midnight and drove up. We heard the line was shorter from the north so we went around.
The line was the “slow lane” on the 118. Cars in a single line for miles and miles. From both directions. The talk radio station was talking of nothing else. We sat in the car for five hours (yes there were bushes available on the side of the road and everyone was using them when necessary) and at that point we had reached the exit to the Reagan Library Parking Lot, where you could be loaded onto a bus for the journey to the ranch and the procession past his casket.
But it was 5:00 and Dad needed to leave for work in 30 minutes, and there were two little children sleeping at home. So we had to go home. As we drove back toward L.A., the line of cars on the other side of the road just went on for so many miles I started crying at the sight.
All of these people. Waiting ALL NIGHT LONG. Not for a concert or sporting event. Not to be seen on TV. No one would ever know they were there. They just wanted to walk past the casket of a man they respected. They missed an entire night of sleep for that privilege and some like us probably didn’t even make it.
It was so touching to see the word HONOR acted out so clearly, in the dark of night when people usually are hunkering down in their own comfortable beds. I will never forget that. There IS good in this world.
Prayers for President Carter and his family.
-PJ
Fantastic account, what an experience.
The Carter funeral will be a spectacle as well.
Two Bushes plus JEB!, the evil Clinton duo, not to mention the gay halfrican himself, Barry Soetero.
So Carter has finally done a good thing.
Drawn all of the actors responsible for everything that is wrong with the USA today to one place, to honor the guy who the started the meltdown in the Middle East.
The Iranians may even release our hostages again in tribute.
What a beautiful remembrance. Usually, when I think of President Reagan, I immediately think of my Dad. My Dad absolutely adored President Reagan and one of the great events of his life was to meet and take a picture with him. Those were different times, in a very different world. I miss them both.