San Jacinto Day

Today is San Jacinto Day. The phrase "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!" was forever etched into Texas history (although "Remember the Alamo!" seems to have "stuck" more than the full phrase). I stopped in Goliad while traveling one day and read about the massacre. Of course, every good Texan has been to San Antonio and toured the Alamo. It's sobering to ponder what men were willing to go through to secure freedom from tyranny.

Of course, San Jacinto Day is a celebration of victory, not of martyrdom. There were soldiers as young as 15 and as old as 60 fighting in the battle for Texas freedom. I don't know the exact statistics, but I think I remember over 600 Mexican soldiers died and over 700 were taken prisoner. Only 9 Texians (as they were called then) died and a small number (maybe in the 30s) were wounded. This is what a panel on the side of the monument at San Jacinto says:

"Measured by its results, San Jacinto was one of the decisive battles of the world. The freedom of Texas from Mexico won here led to annexation and to the Mexican War, resulting in the acquisition by the United States of the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Almost one-third of the present area of the American nation, nearly a million square miles of territory, changed sovereignty."

Virginia Tech

I know we will read profound statements regarding the tragedy at Virginia Tech all month. I have nothing profound to say. My writing style is more conversational than poetic. Yesterday, I would try to catch the news between meetings at work, watching events unfold. It's hard to even grasp what those affected personally are feeling. As I was driving home, a car passed me on the road that had a Virginia Tech bumper sticker. I remember thinking, "I wonder what he is going through. Did he attend there? Do one of his children attend now? What is he thinking?"

I think people in Austin felt a particular empathy with those at Virginia Tech. After all, prior to yesterday the University of Texas had the dubious distinction of being the location of the deadliest student-perpetrated shooting in U.S. history. No one I encountered was relieved they are no longer on the top of that list. They just felt grief for those at VT. Today, Governor Rick Perry ordered flags at half-staff. University of Texas is going to darken the tower (the very tower Charles Whitman positioned himself with a sniper rifle) in honor of the victims at VT.

I hope the people at Virginia Tech feel the thoughts, prayers and sympathies from people all over the nation, possibly all over the world. I hope they feel the loving comfort of God in the midst of this horrible evil. I also pray the family of the killer find peace. I can only imagine how horrified and guilty they must feel, even if they did nothing to warrant that guilt.

Lord, help us to get through that which we just can't understand.

Drakula

While breaking from the spiritual journey through Austin, I thought I'd share some other things I like, such as eating. If you like Romanian food, Drakula is an enjoyable place to visit. If you aren't sure if you like Romanian food, it's a great place to try it and see what you think. I recommend the stuffed cabbage or stuffed bell pepper. The mici is good as well, although I think the stuffed bell pepper is more to my liking. Plus, where else in Austin can you order Vampire wine in an authentic Romanian restaurant with pictures of Count Vlad on the walls? The place is not dark and dreary, as one might expect, so don't be scared!