From the Windy City to the Heart of Dixie

Although this post is very late and it has been almost three months since our trip to the South, I still get excited as I think about it. After Cassie and I returned and people asked about our week with the kids, neither of us could stop smiling as we responded, "It was the best trip I have ever taken with teenagers."

It's true - it was an amazing trip. Our whirlwind itinerary took us from Chicago through Memphis, Birmingham, Selma, Atlanta, and Nashville in less than six days. We saw Dr. King's grave, walked across the Edmund Pettus bridge, and ate some absolutely fabulous Memphis-style barbeque.

And though the sight-seeing was amazing, it wasn't what made Cassie and I glow when we talked about the trip; it was our kids who blew us away. They were amazing. They seemed to really soak in each sight that we visited, and neither of us can remember hearing one single complaint during those five days.

For me, the most vivid memory of the trip was sitting beside the Alabama River in Selma, AL. We were listening to Ms. Joanne Bland talk about her experience during the infamous "Bloody Sunday" march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I looked around and realized that the kids were deeply moved. She charged us to continue the fight that she and others had begun at that march. As we left, and even now, the kids all said that that was their favorite part of the entire trip. It was a very cool moment.

Thank you to all of you who supported the kids as they raised the funds for our trip. The trip was a blessing that I don't think they will ever forget. We all learned a lot, and I think our students learned that they like learning.