Touching the otherside

[Scott Klonowski]

I had a nice vacation in the DC area over Labor Day weekend.  I got to knock off a couple of things from my bucket list, but I had some experiences there that have left me wondering about things.

One of the stops I made on the way out there was to Antietam National Battlefield.  I had not read that much about the battle before hand, but was generally familiar with what happened.  When I arrived at the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, I began to get a headache.  I knew that battlefields contain a lot of residual energy and thought I had done a good job of shielding myself.  I was wrong.

The more I ventured deeper into the battlefield, the stronger my headache got.  At one point, it felt more like sinus pressure and I began to get stuffed up.  When I had reached the area known as Bloody Lane, I could feel that there was some people who was still alive, lying under the bodies of their fallen comrades  It was very quiet on that field as opposed to Gettysburg.  When I visited that one later in the day, I could feel the inspiration of the Union troops and felt the need to recite the Gettysburg Address.

I had made it to DC and got the opportunity to see Ford's Theater.  To me, the area around the theater and the house across the street where Lincoln died, was filled with excitement.  Some people can attribute this to doing too much research on the subject, but I don't think so.  No other spot in DC felt like that area did.

Once inside, I tried to stretch out my senses, but all I could pick up on was one person.  I think I was tapping into Booth, because he was a commanding presence in the building.  Once we was able to walk around, I let him guide me for a bit, getting as close to the scene as we were allowed to.  It felt weird in a way to do this, but at the same time natural.  

Since I have returned, I have noticed a few more gray hairs on my chin, but otherwise I am fine.  I have a new devotion to completing my studies and telling the stories I want, but I would not be afraid to do that again.