In 1979 the deposed Shah of Iran was in the US for cancer treatment. Some bad guys in the middle east took a bunch of American hostages. They wanted the Shah back in exchange for the hostages.
The hostages were an obsession for Jimmy Carter - and for the nation. A few of them were released but 52 hostages were held for 444 days, until January of 1981 - the day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.
In January of 1981 I was escorting a small study group in the middle east. My Real Husband had a larger group. The itinerary was a little different because my trip was shorter. We met up from time to time.
But on this day I was in Jerusalem with my group. We were staying in a Jewish hotel that had once been a cloister for nuns. It was an ancient building. There was no heat and it was bitter cold. We Floridians wore all of our clothes every day. Sorry to say that some in my group were a little surly due to exhaustion, the cold and the frustration of the hotel having a kosher kitchen.
We were having lunch in the dining room. Maybe a third of the people in the room were Americans. All at once a man ducked in and said "The hostages have been released!"
There was spontaneous screaming and hugging. Then a person started singing "God Bless America." Soon the other Americans were singing - and then every person in the dining room was singing. We must have sung it over and over for at least five minutes. Most everybody was crying.
My group's attitude changed instantly. That day we got our priorities straight.
The hostages were an obsession for Jimmy Carter - and for the nation. A few of them were released but 52 hostages were held for 444 days, until January of 1981 - the day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.
In January of 1981 I was escorting a small study group in the middle east. My Real Husband had a larger group. The itinerary was a little different because my trip was shorter. We met up from time to time.
But on this day I was in Jerusalem with my group. We were staying in a Jewish hotel that had once been a cloister for nuns. It was an ancient building. There was no heat and it was bitter cold. We Floridians wore all of our clothes every day. Sorry to say that some in my group were a little surly due to exhaustion, the cold and the frustration of the hotel having a kosher kitchen.
We were having lunch in the dining room. Maybe a third of the people in the room were Americans. All at once a man ducked in and said "The hostages have been released!"
There was spontaneous screaming and hugging. Then a person started singing "God Bless America." Soon the other Americans were singing - and then every person in the dining room was singing. We must have sung it over and over for at least five minutes. Most everybody was crying.
My group's attitude changed instantly. That day we got our priorities straight.
