Mother of Exiles

It was on this day in 1884 that the cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty was laid on what was then Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor. It has become the great symbol of what we might be. I know I’ve never stopped feeling the thrill of that lovely dream every time I’ve visited New York and looked out at the statue in the harbor, and as I look out at it, I recall how on occasion we’ve actually lived the words inscribed on it. My prayer for the nation is that we recall this possibility, and live more fully into it…