I arrive early afternoon on Saturday. It is warm out, warm enough to be spring despite being early March. We eat lunch and chat.

We go for a walk. It is a little muddy out, but outwardly seems more like a day in May or so. S and I play on the swings, acting for all the world like we are little children instead of nearly twenty-one. Sadly, I am too tall for swings now! We walk around some more, go into a crafts store and a nature center (turtles are cute!), and explore. The trees are brown sticks with no leaves; set against the very blue sky, they make a weird sort of contrast. We walk in the woods and get a little lost.

Sunday morning, S’s friend J arrives. Both of them are very religious–at least, they are to me. The difference between very religious Jews and very religious Christians (at least the ones I’ve known!) is that Jewish people tend to be more tolerant. Instead of being concerned for my soul since I don’t believe in God/Jesus/The Bible, the Jewish people I know are willing to share their beliefs but don’t care what I believe in.

Exploring D.C. is fun. We go to a post office museum and learn about the history of the mail service in the US. Then, we slowly walk over to the place where we can go skating outdoors. It is warm and beautiful out. Weird weather to skate in! I haven’t worn rental skates in years. I feel very clumsy and almost fall because there are no edges or toepicks to the skates I’m wearing. It’s too bad I didn’t bring my skates, but I brought enough stuff anyways. Dinner is eaten at a kosher meat restaurant. Anything on the menu that doesn’t contain meat, I can eat!

We discuss morals Monday morning. The core values that many people share–doing what they believe is the right thing to do–can span religion. We discover that we have similar ideals, despite our very different religious views. We go to a solidarity gathering near the Israeli embassy for Women on the Wall. It is amazing to me that people have been wearing similar type garments and raising their voices in the same prayer for thousands of years.

The whole trip is surrounded with religion, from the meals we ate to our conversations to the singing and praying. It is neither bad nor good but a way of life that gives meaning to those who practice it. The core ideas behind that way of life are meaningful to many.