bloody kansas

That’s what Kansas was known as before it was a state—the reason being that before the Civil War both sides packed Kansas to swing the vote to be a free state or slave. The resulting fighting was so fierce that they nicknamed the territory “Bloody Kansas.” I am very happy to say that in my first 24 hours in Kansas, I have found it to be anything but bloody. People have been very inviting and helpful.

The other day at lunch after church Christy said, “Lots of people asked if we were coming to Kansas City with you.” All of the sudden, I said, “Come with me!” And after several minutes of debating the positives and negatives, Christy and the boys agreed to spend a few extra days with Dad. We left immediately, and spent the night in Wichita. I woke up the next morning and drove to a Honda dealership—we’d been looking for a new vehicle for Christy for a while. Three hours later, we drove away in a new van! Easiest and best deal ever!

Last night we rolled in to Kansas City and stayed at the most posh La Quinta-- Spanish for "surprisingly nice." We have a huge suite, the boys in one room, the parents in the other. Nice. To my surprise, last night I learned my classes do not start until Wednesday, so I get a bonus day with the fam. Plans include swimming and maybe a visit to a farm. Oh and Best Buy-- the new van did not come with a DVD, and Christy's got an eight hour drive ahead of her tomorrow!!

Bloody Kansas? Maybe 150 years ago, but not today-- at least not so far.

And we are very mindful up here of the floods in North Texas yesterday. Our prayers are with everyone as the deal with such tragedy.

Comments

Anonymous said…
While the term “bloody Kansas” is sometimes used, Horace Greeley is credited with first using “bleeding Kansas” as a description of the Missouri-Kansas border war in the mid- to late- 1850s.