Show of hands. How many of you have visited a presidential viewing ceremony? *waits* Nobody? Not surprised. Wednesday, I made it to the public viewing of Gerald Ford. I was asked my mom if if I'd like to go with her to Grand Rapids Tuesday night. Naturally, I said yes. I mean, how many times does something like this come to your area in a lifetime? Wednesday morning, we woke up at 6 AM and made the journey up I-96 to Grand Rapids. It was a frosty morning, so even though we were happy with our Egg McMuffins and orange juice, we had to be careful because traffic reports in each area we drove through reported black ice. We were surprised to see light traffic, but we prepared ourselves because a Lansing radio station reported a four-hour wait and since we were still an hour outside of Grand Rapids at 8 AM, we might miss it before the casket was taken away at 11 AM to prepare for the funeral service and interment. When we finally made it to Grand Rapids, we parked in the beautiful downtown area around 9:30 AM and joined the line that had started at the DeVos Center (named for one of Grand Rapids' most successful entrepeneurs). We thought the viewing would be inside. WRONG! We had to step outside onto a footbridge over the Grand River, where the Gerald Ford Historical Museum (where Ford was laid in state) was across. Did I mention it was just over the freezing point? Cold temperatures + waterfront = freezing your ass off. These two guys in front of mom and I were obviously newscasters there not on assignment, because they were making casual business talk with other members of the media on the bridge, at the museum and lined up along Pearl Street. However, we were very surprised the line only took 35 minutes to get to the museum. When we arrived, I was going through so many emotions. Sadness, as Ford's family lost a father, husband, grandfather and uncle, but also happiness, as Gerald was now resting in a better place. Seeing the coffin, closed, with the Stars and Stripes draped over it, brought a tear to my eye. And my mom's. And everybody else's. Even the boys in blue who were guarding the casket were welling up. Members of the Secret Service looked like statues, of course, but you can't help but know they were feeling sadness. As we walked out of the museum, the sign outside of it was littered with candles, flowers, teddy bears, flags, signs, and Michigan football and Eagle Scout membrobilia. Looking at this, you can't help but imagine what Gerald accomplished. Sure, it would be tough for him to be reelected following the Watergate scandel, but like every preisdent, with the negatives came the positives. Members of both the Republican and Democrat parties say that pardoning Nixon was the right thing to do. He got us out of Vietnam. He brokered a truce between Egypt and Israel that still stands today, remarkable given the state of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Thank you, Gerald R. Ford. Godspeed.
My time's up, you've been great. For the road: AFI "Miss Murder"
