July 5, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Wednesday, July 5.
On this day, 37 years ago, a memorable moment occurred in New York City. The remembrance of that event serves as an appropriate postscript to yesterday's patriotic holiday. On July 5, 1986, the Statue of Liberty reopened to the public after a two-year, 40 million-dollar renovation.
1986 was the centennial of Lady Liberty, dedicated in October, 1886, in New York Harbor. A gift from France, she stood 30 stories high, and was clothed in a copper skin just two pennies thick. By the 1980's she was really showing her age, and was in desperate need of a make-over.
I visited the Statue of Liberty in 1987 and climbed all the way - 354 steps - up to the crown. The view from the crown, a surprisingly small 12-foot-wide space, wasn't that memorable. Pretty much all you can see is water, since she faces Europe, not America. But the trip up those steps, the chance to see the statue from the inside, was truly unforgettable.
The crown was closed for 8 years after the 911 attack, and for 2 years during the pandemic, opening to the public just last October. But now, once again, Americans can climb those 30 stories, can marvel at the razor-thin copper skin, can celebrate this symbol of freedom, and can remember her words of welcome -
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
P.S. - The Statue of Liberty is definitely a "bucket list" destination. If you've had that experience, drop me an email, and tell me all about it!
