Weeping Mother

I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not too into black and white, but I couldn't resist changing a couple of these.

The day was so bright and her shades of green so varied I think the b&w shows the features better.

To the mothers of the nation. . .

She moved me to tears, I thought of all the mothers praying for the safety of their children, our soldiers.

Spreading LOVE

L-O-V-E makes the world go ‘round.

We had Haden snap a photo of us by the LOVE, but we were a little too shadowy, so we had him snap another.

That’s better. As a memento I got a Love keychain, with a little liberty bell attached.

Salem Witch Trials Memorial

Salem was a spur of the moment stop on our trek back home so I did not have near enough time for research to get to all the places I would want to see. But I knew the big thing for me would be to see the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. The “witches” bodies were not actually buried so you cannot find tombs for them.

Instead there is this open area, which I was not wise enough to venture into. If I had walked in, I would have found that each empty bench bore the name, date and method of death for a victim.

The Salem Witch Trial Memorial
This memorial to the victims of Salems witch hysteria of 1692 sits in the same cemetery as the Judge who condemned them. The memorial consists of a walled courtyard surrounded by empty stone benches. The benches each bear the name of a victim of the hysteria. The emptiness of the bench represents the absence of the victim caused by their execution. Quotes from the victims are carved into the ground across the entrance. The words are partially covered on either side where the stone walls of the courtyard start and end. These words are cut off to represent how the lives of these victims were cut short as well. Since most of the Salem Witch Trial victims never received a proper burial, the cenotaph benches are the closest they have to actual gravestones.
Taken from ~ Dark Destinations

I did stop at the entrance and read the words engraved there. They didn’t make sense at the time, but they do now. I took photos of all the text, but am only showing you one - the words written there:

. . .my life now lies in your hands
. . .If I would confess I should save my life
Oh Lord help me
I am wholly innocent of such wickedness
God knows I am innocent
I do plead not guilty
I can deny it to my dying day. . .
I am no witch. . .

It was my original intention to share the cemetery next door to the memorial in this post. But I feel very sad for what was done to these people and think that will have to wait for another day. I do hope to get back to Salem one day and over to Danver.