migrating

On a recent morning walk, I was rewarded when I passed through a local garden and witnessed orange and golden wings fluttering all about. I’ve seen monarch butterflies as they migrate to Mexico once before on another morning many years ago as I drove along the ocean between the towns of Rehoboth and Bethany Beach, DE. Hundreds of them floated on the breeze around the car; I was afraid I would run some of the gorgeous little lovelies over so I slowed down since I was the lone driver on the road. It was exhilarating to be amongst them then and now. Which brings me to Ken Burn’s The Vietnam War series…

I binged watched the 10 episodes and let me say, it was an eye-opening education on a war that has intrigued me since I was a young girl whose questions back then went unanswered. I’ve always wanted to know more than I eventually came to know about this moment in history that I lived through, that influenced the world I was to grow up in, that nobody would talk about. I realize things were left out of the series; not everyone is pleased with what was presented and I too felt there were some topics that needed more attention. That said, towards the end of the documentary, the footage of countless people trying to flee conflict, uncertainty and the fear of death held me still in my chair, the desperateness of it all stirring up forgotten emotions because before me were some of the same images I had seen and not fully understood in my younger years. Who knew that a strange pain had wedged somewhere in my being waiting for the right moment to emerge, bring tears to my eyes. 

Though hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese men, women and children who assisted the US perished as they tried to or before they could leave, others successfully migrated to America becoming citizens. Despite what had happened in their homeland, they came to love this country, their new country, our country. Watching the documentary inspired me to revisit the Memorial which is not far from where I reside. I want to spend concentrated time there reflecting on the war, what I watched, and what I've read since the last episode aired. I need to run my hands over the names of people I never knew, my desire to connect something I can't really explain. As I walk  there, I will choose to pass through the gardens where butterflies flutter freely and think about the millions of people who have successfully migrated to the United States, wonder about those who have been and will be turned away, and reflect on the words, what price freedom.

Check out The Vietnam War; it’s worth a watch, form your own opinion and…

keep your peepers open!®

#kenburns #vietnamwar #migration #butterflies #whatpricefreedom #wearewomenwriting #immigration #blogher #blogalicious