Hotch Arrives in Mississippi - Jackson, MS

Once we left Montgomery, AL it took everything in me to stay awake and get us to the hotel in Jackson, MS. (After giving birth to Delaney my night vision became horrendous. I never drive in the evening when Hotch is around and I try to avoid it as much as I can when I am behind the wheel.) The drive from Montgomery to Jackson was so dark and took more than 4 hours. There was a lot of praying going on in the van that night. I was so grateful for Alyssa and her incessant talking because she helped me stay awake. At one point she and I were rocking out like crazy maniacs so we could stay awake. We finally arrived at the hotel around 1am and crashed right away. Everyone was so tired!

The next morning I had the unique pleasure of experiencing terribly swollen hands and feet. They were so swollen that I could barely move them and my shoes did not fit at all. Great way to start the day after a long, tiring night.

These girls were so cute to watch as they got ready for the day!

Since Hotch did not get his part of the move done by the time we needed to get on the road (we had prepaid hotel reservations for the entire trip that we could not get out of) he had to stay behind to finish up his jobs and get our deposit back. We bought him a bus ticket to meet up with us in Jackson, Mississippi. It was a little nerve wrecking getting to the Greyhound bus stop in Jackson since it was a very bad part of town and started raining like crazy. Once inside the terminal we felt much safer. I bought some sandwiches to eat as we patiently waited for Hotch to arrive. The little ones couldn't wait for him to arrive and decided to play hopscotch on the checkered tile floor. 

It was so wonderful seeing him walk through the terminal doors.
We were ecstatic having him with us again!

Love the look on his face when he saw the kids running up to him!

Since we were in Jackson, MS we drove the street to check out the Mississippi Governor's Mansion and the Mississippi State Capitol Building. Everything was closed, but it was still nice to check them out briefly.

Wish we would have heard the song "Jackson" while we there. Enjoy!

In a side note: Many online reviews of Jackson, MS mention the horrendous roads and highways. This is not an exaggeration at all. They are very poorly maintained! You need to be ever watchful for deep, dangerous potholes. The freeway is chalked full of huge potholes right around the Jackson exits. The downtown Jackson streets are ridiculous. They seriously need to devote some money to road maintenance before someone gets injured.

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site & Georgia State Capitol Building - Atlanta, GA

As we passed through Atlanta, Georgia we made a special point to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and Preservation District. We have taught our children about Martin Luther King Jr for years. It has been really wonderful watching them gain sincere admiration for this good man. We were so excited to see where he was born and grew up, where he was ordained a minister and preached the word of God, where he is memorialized and his final resting place next to his sweet wife.

Martin Luther King Jr was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy of nonviolent resistance. In April 1959, eleven years after Gandhi was assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr was able to travel to India with his wife and a close friend. He stated that "since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity." You can read about his experiences in "My Trip to the Land of Gandhi", an account he wrote for Ebony, which was published in July 1959. We loved this statue and tribute to Gandhi!

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change Inc. or better known as "The King Center" is located across the street from the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. It was lovingly established in 1968 by Martin's wife, Coretta Scott King. On the day we visited, which would have been her 86th birthday, they actually named a rose after her. It is a beautiful coral colored grandiflora rose named the Coretta Scott King. Check out the photo below. Isn't it lovely! Due to time constraints we had to leave before the dedication. We did see the King family pull up in limos and gather for the occasion. Out of respect I didn't take any photos of them. 

(Photo above of the Coretta Scott King Rose from www.weeksroses.com)

We were privileged to pay our respects to such a noble man and his beloved wife. Located between the King Center and Ebenezer Baptist Church are the gravesites of Martin Luther King Jr and his wife Coretta Scott King. He was originally buried in the South-View Cemetery until 1977 when he was reinterred in this memorial tomb. It is a very beautiful, solemn place. 

The Eternal Flame is right across from their tomb. It symbolizes Martin Luther King Jr's commitment to eternal hope and truth. I appreciated the words on the plaque. "The Eternal Flame symbolizes the continuing effort to realize Dr. King's ideals for the "Beloved Community" which requires lasting personal commitment that cannot weaken when faced with obstacles."

We were surprised to look up and see the buildings of downtown Atlanta. We didn't realize how close it actually was.

It seemed fitting to have dogwood trees planted next to the Eternal Flame. After living in North Carolina, I love the blossoms on dogwood trees! 
Enjoy the Legend of the Dogwood below.

Since we were on a very tight schedule we were unable to visit the King Center. (I thought it would be rude to check out the exhibits while the rose dedication was going on.) Instead we opted to tour the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This beautiful church holds quite a lot of significance for the King family. Martin Luther King Jr's maternal grandfather was Reverend Adam Daniel Williams. He served as pastor of the Ebenezer Church from March 1894 until March 1931. He also was the pastor while the current Ebenezer Baptist Church was built back in 1922. His only child was Martin Luther King Jr's mother, Alberta Christine Williams. "Mama King" was baptized as a child and later married Martin Luther King Sr on Thanksgiving Day 1926 in this church. She served for 40 years playing the organ (1932 -1972). In June 1974 she was tragically shot while playing the organ for the Ebenezer Baptist Church congregation and she died later that day.

Martin Luther King Jr's father, Reverend Martin Luther King Sr, served as senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church for an astounding 44 years (1931-1975). Martin Luther King Jr was baptized as a child in this church and attended services here each week while in his youth. At the age of 19 he gave a trial sermon and was subsequently ordained a minister here too. He was co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church from 1960 until his was assassinated in 1968. Poignantly his funeral was held in this beloved church.

As you quietly reflect upon the significance of this church in the lives of the King Family you can hear the words of Martin Luther King Jr speaking of faith, hope, endurance, etc. It was a powerful experience seeing the pulpit where he once preached peace and nonviolent resistance. The Ebenezer Baptist Church also has the most beautiful stained glass windows. In the stained glass below there are depictions of Reverend Adam Daniel Williams (first window) and Reverend Martin Luther King Sr (second window).

We really enjoyed our visit to the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Here is a short history of the church produced by the National Park Service.

Our next stop was the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site's Visitor Center. Honestly, it was quite a let down. We were hoping to see a state of the art facility with modern, interactive exhibits. Instead it was a very crowded almost outdated visitor center. It doesn't seem fitting due to the magnitude of Dr. King's influence in this world. Hopefully they will revamp it at some point making it more interactive and educational. 

The kids enjoyed the D.R.E.A.M. Gallery Exhibit called "MINE EYES HAVE SEEN". This exhibit contained a replica of the Lincoln Memorial and reflection pool at the time Martin Luther King Jr gave his renowned I Have A Dream speech. Fun to take photos next to a life size Martin Luther King Jr at the podium. There also were pictures of key figures and events during the Civil Rights Movement.

Inside the Visitor Center is the main exhibit called "Courage to Lead". It contains lovely photos of the King Family and of major events in Martin Luther King Jr's life. We wish it had been much more extensive and interactive. It is geared more for adults and teens. Make sure to ask for Junior Ranger booklets if you bring kids. They help make visiting the Visitor Center and National Historic Site more interactive for children.

My children were touched by the part of the exhibit that contains a mock jail cell. It saddened them to learn about the 11 days he spent in jail for his nonviolent civil rights campaigning in Birmingham, Alabama. He wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail while being unjustly incarcerated.

Sadly at the age of 39, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on April 4, 1968. One of the most touching things was seeing the wagon that was used to carry his casket in front of over 200,000 mourners from the Ebenezer Baptist Church to the Morehouse College. This wagon and the two mules used to pull it were symbols of his efforts to help the poor. 

Our nation was blessed to have been influenced by such a noble man. His service and sacrifices helped to ensure equality for all citizens in this good nation. His example of nonviolent resistance is still applicable today.

There is an incredible mural on the wall facing the Visitor Center entrance. My artist children were in awe of it. 

The girls were really excited to find Rosa Parks footprints etched into the granite walkway along the Promenade leading back to the parking lot. 

We were bummed that we ran out of time and could not visit Martin Luther King Jr's Birth Home. Next time we will make a point to get there even earlier in the day so we can go on a tour right away. Tickets to tour Dr. King's Birth Home are free, but they are given out on a first come, first served basis. Enjoy this virtual tour of his Birth Home!

Before we left Atlanta we headed over to the Georgia State Capitol Building. It is only a short 6 minutes drive from the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site and Preservation District.

Look at that dome! It is incredibly beautiful!

There is no where to park around the Georgia State Capitol Building so we just kept driving around it. Since it was closed we just took photos as I drove. We had a few homeless men look at us funny as we circled it for the fifth and sixth time. Not the most inviting building, but it is supposed to have a superb Georgia State Capitol Museum on the fourth floor. Next time we'll visit during the week when it's open so we can go inside.

We had a lovely morning in Atlanta, GA! Hoping to come back again so we can see a few more sights and spend more time at these two great places.