I Scream, You Scream...

I spent last week in the city of Brotherly Love. It was a first time trip to Philadelphia and while my schedule did not allow too much time for historical tours I did steal a late afternoon to tour Old Town in and around Independence Hall.  The weather was beautiful and the walk not too far from my hotel.  Despite being too late to get in to see the Liberty Bell I was still struck by the sense of place and historical significance.  Maybe it's because I'm a history nut, but I get excited at the thought of having shared the same view of Independence Hall as our founding fathers!  On my way back to the hotel I stopped in a small ice cream shop for a snack and found a new favorite flavor, Spumoni.  Given my sheltered life, I had never heard of it, and if you are not familiar either it is a mix of chocolate, strawberry and pistachio and apparently it is quite common… I really must get out more!

So there I was, in the city of Brotherly Love, enjoying a mixture of diverse favors in a single scoop sugar cone and pondering the vision and insight of our founding fathers. They might not have had the appreciation for diversity that we have today but that is ok with me. I'm not interested in rewriting history, just understanding it as their time and place while not confusing it with our own.  While we have so more to learn through diversity we can't underestimate the foresight of those who framed both our Independence as well as our Constitution in a manner that would allow it to grow and change just as we do as people and a community. Diversity and change can be a good thing... Just try some Spumoni and I think you will agree.