Today we had the chance to stop and pay our respects at the newest El Paso Memorial.
Although, this memorial is not like most monuments that you have ever visited. Unlike most monuments, it is not located at a national park or national historical site.
In fact, this one is located in the front parking lot of an El Paso Walmart. It sits at the same site of a mass shooting that occurred on August 3, 2019.
The store recently reopened to the public just over a month ago and a memorial was built to honor the 22 individual who lost their lives.
However the actual structure itself doesn’t sit at the entrance or inside the Walmart building. The enclosed memorial that is constantly guarded sits in the front parking lot closest to the highway.
The Walmart El Paso Memorial
The memorial, called the “Grand Candela,” is built with 22 individual perforated aluminum arcs grouped together. Once lit, the lights shine upward through the 30 foot candle and represents unity among all people.
At the front entrance of the memorial is a plaque that is mounted on a bench. It is written in both English and Spanish and in part reads…
“Dedicated to the people of El Paso, may this memorial stand as a solemn tribute to those who lost their lives on Aug. 3, 2019, be a beacon of hope for the survivors, and a lasting reminder to all of the enduring strength, resiliency and love that unites El Paso.”
The Memorial Plaque
As we stood at the memorial reading the plaque, we stood alongside other visitors. And each family was from various ethnicities and spoke different languages.
But everyone was there for the same reason. No matter where they came from and no matter what language that they spoke, we were all united as we were standing there in front of the El Paso Memorial.
Just like it always should be, in every aspect of life.
We walked away from the memorial with heavy hearts. We ached for all those who had died and the families that were left behind due to a senseless act of hatred.
Then we took a minute, sitting outside of the memorial to reflect on the benefits of traveling the country and interacting with people from all walks of life.
As Mark Twain said: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
And we couldn’t have said it any better.
Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary
CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:
- Day 112 of 365
- States : 15/50
- National Parks / Monuments : 17
- Stayed In : Fort Stockton, TX
- Miles Driven : 227.5
- Total Trip Miles To Date : 12,480.1
- Total Gallons Used : 897.84
- Biking Miles : 0.0
- Biking Miles To Date : 152.8
- Hiking Miles : 0.5
- Hiking Miles To Date : 263.7
About Our Living Simple Tour
On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States
Follow along by signing up for our twice weekly email updates at the bottom of the page. You can also follow us on Facebook : Live Simple Tour Facebook and Instagram : Live Simple Now Instagram Page.