Friday evening everyone came in town and we cooked a big supper of spaghetti and meatballs, bread, and salad. Everyone sat and chatted for a while before heading off to bed as we were planning to head out at 7AM.
Saturday morning we loaded up and hit the road. Mr. Joe and RA spent the day at home with the boys piddling around the house and playing outside (the weather was GORGEOUS!).
We spent the 3 1/2 hour drive chatting and admiring the scenery (not really - the majority of the drive was on the interstate...). But about 11AM we arrived at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC.
Entrance to the library and an absolutely gorgeous day.
All smiles!
A fun day with these women!
We arrived around lunchtime, so we stopped in to the deli on the property for a quick bite to eat.
After lunch, it was time to start our tour which began with Bessie. She told us all about the dairy farm that Billy grew up on.
We wandered through each of the rooms that told the story of Billy's life. This room was devoted to Ruth's upbringing and time spent in China with her family as missionaries.
A replica of the mantle and family room in the Graham house...
A good portion of the library included artifacts from Billy's life, including his briefcase and his Bible...
One of the two pulpits that traveled with Billy around the world...
Entrance to the library looking outside...
The property also includes the house he grew up in. It was renovated when it was moved to the property, but many of the pieces are from the family.
Family Bible and portrait in the home...
Living room. This is also the room where Billy's casket laid as the public came to pay their respects...
Kitchen...
White azaleas in full bloom near the grave sites with a beautiful bee fluttering around...
Ruth and Billy's graves...
It was a really great day spent taking a look at a man that had an absolutely incredible impact on the lives of people around the world. And a great day spending some time with three women who I think are pretty incredible, too. :-)
