Ellis Island

A couple weeks ago I found myself with a much needed day off and nothing really to do.  It was a beautiful day and I was downtown at the Social Security Office (loooong story).  Once I was done, I decided to hop over to Ellis Island.  Every year I make a list of things that I want to do in the city, and this year, I haven't been very good about getting to it.  Between foot injuries, moving, and being busy in general, my list is looking a little sad.  So I decided to take the opportunity while I had it.

The boat ride alone makes this trip worth it.  The views of downtown New York City and stopping by the Statue of Liberty makes my NYC warm and fuzzies come out!  It's easy to forget now and then, but I do live in one of the most amazing cities in the world, and this was one of those days that reminded me.

Walking through the doors of the doors of the Ellis Island's chills went down my spine and put tears in my eyes.  My Great Grandfather, Carl Larson, had walked through these doors as a young man in search of a better life from his native Sweden in the early 1900s.  I began to wonder what brought him here.  I could feel the anxiety of the thousands of people that came through here after making such a hellish journey over sea.  Sick, malnourished, possibly widowed or orphaned, poor, but still seeking a better opportunity than where they had come from.  

I think we, modern day Americans, forget that this country was built on our ancestor's backs.  We have no idea what it's like to live through famines and plagues.  We have no idea what it's like to take every dime we have and take a risk on a new country, where just the journey may kill us.  We complain about seats that are too small in an airplane or how inconvenient all this technology is when it doesn't work when a text doesn't go through or our email isn't working right.  Most of these people never saw their families again, or heard their voices, and letters took months.  Many of them were indentured servants for years, just to get here.  

It was moving to stand where they had stood.  It brought tears to my eyes to think of all the people who started new generations of Americans and created the America that I know today.  I was very proud to have had my own family come through here and I could feel him with me.  I hope that the generations of Americans that he began, made him proud.