Visiting Pearl Harbor

***** So I wrote this ages ago and meant to post it on Dec 7 but you know...life. So enjoy this post from our Bucket List trip to Pearl Harbor in October, when we were still living in America, I wasn't pregnant and Forest was a 4 year old. Incredible how 3.5 months can really feel like a lifetime ago.****  

We knew when we decided to return to Oahu that visiting Pearl Harbor was an absolute must. We skipped it when Forest was a toddler because he was completely feral and I didn't trust that he could be calm and respectful for the 15 minutes of silence at the memorial. At age 5, I was still unsure of F's capabilities in that department, but since he's such a pro at 'library rules' I figured he'd be able to transfer the skill to the USS Arizona memorial. 

With him falling under the weather for the excursion, he did even better than expected, especially since the memorial itself is currently closed for repairs and the tour just consists of a very noisy boat ride around the site. 

Before the boat ride, everyone views a movie detailing the context for the Japanese attack and the aftermath. I was struck by the fact that afterward Forest said 'I know why all those boats sank- there was a big storm with lots of black clouds.' I tried to explain that it wasn't a storm, it was bombs that made those clouds and he was so confused. "Why would they do that? Do you think God wanted them to do that? I don't think God wants us to use bombs on each other.' I realized he has absolutely zero context for understanding war and I'm so thankful for that. 

It was a humbling experience and I'm so glad that we were able to pay our respects during this trip to Oahu.