Day 6: Show us the Show Me state

The storms followed us across the state line into Missouri. Huge bummer. But God came, too, and kept us safe. Huge praise. We expect more severe weather tonight, and the forecast calls for large hail. We won't let it ruin the fun we had today.

For starters, it was nice to drive just 10 miles to our destination...a vast improvement over the mileage of the last few days. Independence, Missouri, was the hometown of President Harry Truman. It's now the location of his Presidential library and museum, and his house of more than 60 years (to which he returned following his years in office) is now in the National Park System. The girls did their work for a junior ranger badge...Stan and I always learn as much as the kids in the junior ranger process. In fact, we've become a bit dejected to realize just how much of our education has slipped out of our sieve-like brains over the years. We had forgotten most of the momentous items from Truman's time in office. A few highlights: Truman initiated the Berlin Airlift during the Soviet blockade, saving the city's occupants from starvation or the alternative of Soviet rule. The 277,000 flights of food and supplies were unprecedented. Truman also was the first world leader to formally recognize Israel (standing against many US big-wigs in the process). The political climate then seems to be coming full circle today, as current headlines are virtual repeats of 60 years ago: Military involvement on multiple fronts, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, North Korean posturing, contentious politics and infighting (with a large emphasis on poll numbers), threats from developing weapons technology and the potential of its use in the wrong hands.

It's no wonder Truman and his wife wanted to return to their quiet, humble life in Independence, retreating from the world stage with a profound sense of relief. His home was a closely-held sanctuary; even his most trusted friends from Washington rarely felt welcome to stay more than 20 minutes. Only longtime family friends were invited past the formal living room and into the heart of the home. And a fun tidbit about Truman's frugality...in his retirement years, as the home's old kitchen linoleum split, he would get a can of rusty nails from the basement and nail down the edges rather than replace or patch it. The nails are still there!

We miss our friends and family tonight as we anticipate church and Father's Day tomorrow, so far from all those we love.

The Truman home