Christmas with George Washington

After we unwrapped our gifts and ate a little breakfast, we got dressed and rode up to Washington's Crossing, PA to watch the re-enactment of George Washington's heroic crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Day in 1776.

Unlike the original crossing, we were dressed in warm clothing, there wasn't a nor-easter blowing through with wind, snow and sleet and it was about 1 o'clock in the afternoon.  For some reason, however, my mind was caught up in the fact that these men were so poorly dressed that many didn't have shoes, but wrapped their feet in cloth if they could.  They stood on the bank of the Delaware in the horrid storm, waiting for there turn to climb in a boat to be rowed across with chunks of ice crashing all around them.  All this was done in the dead of night, in fact, the last man wasn't over until about 4 o'clock in the morning the day after Christmas.  I cried as I watched the first boat launch and battle the current of the Delaware.

The good news is that not one American man was killed in the Battle at Trenton that morning after they marched another nine miles.  A few were injured but none died.  That is just amazing to me.  These poor men.  What they did to allow me to eventually live in such a great country.  To wake up with my children on this lovely Christmas morning and celebrate the birth of our Savior.  I will never be able to adequately express my gratitude and devotion to these men.  Never.  They are my heroes.

I am fascinated by this moment in history.  Maybe because it's so easy for me to visualize.  Maybe because we've been studying so much about the Revolution that it's finally registering with me. I don't know why.  I'm just grateful.