FRANKFORT, Ky. — This building known for its beauty and bustle was a kind of "eerie" silent. It's tough to get used to the change in atmosphere brought on by this pandemic. But at ten Tuesday morning that silence was broken.
Echoes from two men ringing bells shattered the stillness, like the hearts that have broken for the 154 Kentuckians whose deaths are blamed on COVID-19. Governor Andy Beshear stood on a second floor balcony looking down upon the statue to Kentucky's favorite son, President Abraham Lincoln.
There was no mention of names, ages or hometowns. No verbal reminder of the WWII veteran, healthcare worker or scores more whose families have yet to release their names and backstories.
This was a moment about all of them, yet none of them in particular.
From the Rotunda's north entrance, a lone Kentucky State Trooper emerged and methodically made his way to Lincoln’s feet.
Only a handful of people were inside the rotunda to witness the wreath laying ceremony.
The Capitol is that “eerie” silent again.
It's an unsettling new atmosphere you can feel in the pit of your stomach. The public can't come in and visit the wreath. This beautiful building is off limits to all but those deemed "essential."
But maybe on this day to honor those already passed, we can find hope in Lincoln's words from Gettysburg. Maybe when this is all clear, and life returns to somewhat normal, these losses too will not have been in vain.
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