Another e-mail:
I stood in line from 8pm to 1am last night for the Rotunda viewing. I met a man who came all the way from Granada to pay his respects. I met an 11-year-old boy who, when I asked him what he knew about Ronald Reagan said, “He told Mr. Gorbachev to tear down the wall and he ended the Cold War.” He told me in a school assembly he got to be President Reagan and read that part of the Berlin Wall speech (I’d like to send my kid to that school!). And then, when I finally stood in front of President Reagan’s casket at 1:10am et, I had intended to say a prayer, but I was so awe-struck I couldn’t think of anything to say. As I walked down the West Front steps upon exiting, I started to admonish myself for forgetting to say the prayer, but then I cut myself a break for not knowing how to act in the presence of greatness — I’d never been there before.
Leta Hix
Arlington, VA