Contemplating

While living on the itty bitty island of Okinawa, we were able to go to Peace Prayer Park on several occassions.  It is a beautiful park that tells the tragic story of what happened on this Pebble In The Pacific during the horrifying years of World War 2.  The park also depicts how the Okinawan's and the Americans rebuilt this Tropical Oasis and have joined together in peace and forgivness.  There is a wall, well several walls, in fact rows and rows of walls, simular to our Viet Nam Wall, listing all the names of those lost during the Battle of Okinawa.  I love this picture of Ty, it was a VERY HOT, HUMID day and we had just looked at all the names engraved on the walls.  We were with a couple other families and i was talking to my friends when i glanced over to check on the whereabouts of my children, there was Ty, sitting in the grass leaning against one of the walls.....he had asked a billion questions throughout the day and i think this last part with all the names had just kind of overwhelmed him in the moment.  He kept asking if each name meant that person died in the battle.  He has always been my sensative child and by the end of the walls, he just needed to sit a part from everyone and process all of it in his 5 year old mind.

Ty taking a moment to think it all over....

Ty earlier in the day before we got to the walls