Symbols that make a story

While taking a walk recently I had the opportunity to visit with my neighbor, Brad McConnell.

Brad has lived next to me for nearly five years and this is the most extensive visit we’ve had.

As we were talking about travel, he shared his experience in the Statue of Liberty.

That’s right, “in” the statue.

The Statue of Liberty is probably the most familiar patriotic symbol we have in this country.

It is located on Liberty Island with New York City as a  backdrop. Brad spent the better part of a day at the statue. A good part of the time, he was inside working his way up a circular staircase to the crown. There, windows offer a great view of the surroundings.

Brad said that he had to step off the staircase to let a group of school kids get past him.

The statue, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in 1886.

The copper-laced statue came to this country in 214 crates and stands about 315 feet tall when you add the base to the measurement.

Millions of immigrants line the portals and railings of ships to get their first glimpse of the symbol that is best known to immigrants who arrive at that location.

The statue was in place when my grandmother, Mary Rusten, came to America from Norway in about 1890.

She lived with us until I was 7, but never really picked up English as a language. My mother was an only child but didn’t pick up Norwegian. I don’t know how they communicated.

I would have loved to discuss the statue with my grandmother and her feelings when she arrived at the center on Ellis Island.

Symbols really do mean something for people coming to this country.

This gift from the people of France is worth more than all the military alliances that we hear about so often. 

Brad, great story of your adventure inside the Statue of Liberty.