Reminiscing

It’s May 7 and I can’t believe it. One year ago I was in a bus in Italy regaling the group with stories from the Lusitania. Today, I am working all day, but grateful. Grateful to be working and grateful to remember today. I can’t believe it’s been 95 years. When I was twelve, eleven years ago now, it was 82 years. How time flies and soon it will be 100 years. My goal is to be in Ireland in 2015 on May 7. I pray it happens. Oh, how I yearn to go. I hope!

As I was driving over to work today, I wasn’t overwhelmed with the tragedy of this event, but instead I was envisioning and recalling the beauty. I have never seen it in person. I know that, but I have seen pictures and spent hours thinking about what it may look like. So much so that I believe were I to go back and get on that ship that I would most likely know where everything was from studying the blueprints over and over again. How I adore the beauty of the Lusitania. With its Louis XIV décor, gold trim, angels from every season in the dome of the dining saloon, the light, airiness of the ship—much different than the Titanic—mirrors reflecting lights everywhere, just these thoughts make me yearn to have been there to see it at least once.

Oh and to walk on the deck of the ship. It would be slightly different than the cruise ships of today. I imagine a bit more open. I can almost hear the humming of the engine and the laughter and chatter of the passengers, especially first class, Alfred Vanderbilt and Peter Pan producer, Charles Frohman. The sound of the ocean—there’s nothing like the sound of the unforgiving beast of the earth, roaring beneath the ship.

P.S. I wrote yesterday--30 minutes.