All's Well That Ends Well

 

The Magna Carta memorial at Runnymede marks the historical site.

Once again, travel has brought home to me that there are a lot of kind people in the world.  The day could have been a disaster, but it all ended well due to the thoughtful host of our Airbnb and a resident of Old Windsor.

On our last day, I visited the small store down the street from our location to buy a few things. A little more than a half-hour later, I realized that my wallet, which I last used at the store, was gone. After a frantic search of the little cabin where we were staying, Kevin ran down to the store to see if my wallet had been found. No luck! And I had three credit cards in it! Visualizing the worst, I knocked on the door of our host, Anna. I was going to ask where the police station was so I could report my loss. Anna hesitated, because there wasn't an actual police station nearby, although there was a place where there apparently was one officer. Then a light dawned. "Why don't I post it on the social media page for Old Windsor?," Anna asked. I turned away, as Anna opened the site to type. "Wait," she called. "Is this your wallet?" There was a photo of my wallet and a note for anyone who knew Rachel Imper to contact the person who posted it! She had posted it 34 minutes after I left the shop. We immediately got in touch, and the kind woman who lived nearby refused to accept any payment, though she did accept a hug, as tears formed in my eyes. Whew! I could scarcely believe it. Apparently, I dropped my wallet in the store after my purchase, and she found it.

Our cute little cabin in Old Windsor, a true budget find.

Our friend Mitch had to work while we were there, because he had run out of holiday time, but after finding my wallet, we were able to spend most of the afternoon and the evening with Mitch and Zora. They accompanied us to Runnymede. Apparently, in 1215, the meadows at Runnymede were a neutral place for King John, who lived in Windsor Castle, and the nobles to meet for the signing of the Magna Carta.  The memorial for the Magna Carta was erected on the site by the American Bar Association in 1957, since it has such a significance for the rule of law, limiting even the power of the king, and thus for democracy.

Mitch and Zora posed in front of the memorial to Magna Carta.

In 1994, the Prime Minister Rao of India planted an oak tree near the memorial and left a plaque acknowledging the Magna Carta for its influence on freedom and the rule of law, showing that the site has meaning around the world. England's National Trust administers the site, but I understand that the American Bar Association still has some relationship to it, but it's not clear to me how it works.

Of course, it is the history of Magna Carta that has long made me wish to go to that spot.  I also learned in an exhibit at the British Library years ago, that the Magna Carta not only was the first time that a king agreed to limitations on his power, but also it reaffirmed rights for widows. True, they were noble women, but then, Magna Carta did not apply to peasants. But the Magna Carta firmly established by contract a right that had been granted by a king a hundred years before stating that a widow could have her inheritance immediately after her spouse died and that "no widow shall be compelled to marry, so long as she wished to remain without a husband." That's somewhat surprising considering the time.

Also at Runnymede is a memorial to John F. Kennedy, dedicated in 1965 by Queen Elizabeth II and Jacqueline Kennedy. That site has been granted to the American people and is acknowledged as American soil. I admired JFK, and so visiting that monument also brought back my feelings and memories. At age 12, I attended the Washington State Democratic Convention with my mother, who was a delegate. She invited me to come the night that the Democratic candidates spoke, and after hearing John F. Kennedy speak, I told her, "Mama, you have to vote for that man!" We both worked on his campaign, and although I never met President Kennedy, I did meet Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy three times, once in his office in Washington.

We climbed up many steep steps to reach the JFK Memorial.

The evening before, Zora made a delicious Trinidadian meal for us, so for our final evening, since we could not make them a dinner--and anything we would make would not have stood up to hers even if we could--we treated them to a dinner at a Greek restaurant in Windsor, not far from the river, where swans glided by.

It was a little sad to say goodbye, but now all three of my goals had been met, and it is fair to say that having averted a disaster and having enjoyed good company, "All's well that ends well."

The intriguing sculptures at Runnymede depict the release of a bird.