Several years ago, I visited our Nation’s Capitol. While there, I took a side trip to Alexandria, Virginia, to the George Washington National Masonic Memorial.
On the first floor of the Memorial is a replica of the Lodge
Room as it would have been in Washington’s
time.
Along the wall, sitting on a shelf unprotected, I saw a
table clock. It was the clock that had
been on General Washington’s bedstand.
At the time of his death, one of the attending doctors had cut the cord
and stopped the clock.
I was amazed that it was standing out in the open,
unprotected.
At least, that’s how I remembered it…
A year or two later, I went back and found that my memory
had been faulty – the clock was safely behind a locked glass panel.
On December 16, 2003, I was driving to work on a very cold,
windy and icy day. I was traveling at
40-45 miles an hour, the fastest safe speed.
I met a semi going the opposite direction, even slower than I was
traveling. There were perhaps four cars
bunched up behind him. I then saw a car
traveling a lot faster, coming up behind the semi and the vehicles behind. I saw the approaching car as he was trying to
slow down, on the centerline, heading for my left front fender. He regained control and got back in his lane. I watched in my rear view mirror as he tried
to get to the shoulder to avoid the last car in line behind the slow moving
semi. He failed. He struck the last car in the right rear,
causing it to spin on the ice into the oncoming lane, where it was struck by
another semi going the same direction I was traveling.
I saw the underside of the car, wheels and axels, as it was
thrown perhaps 12 feet in the air.
At least, that’s how I remembered it …
When the sheriff’s investigator read my written summary of
the accident, he came to see me and asked, “Are you sure it was a car? We found a pickup in the ditch.”
I have a very good memory, it’s just very short.
I include these stories for two purposes: One:
that I need to take into consideration mistakes in observation and
recollection when evaluating the testimony of witnesses who appear before me.
And two: you need to
take into consideration that some of the facts I am recollecting may be in
error. I have not intentionally
misstated any of the facts in my stories, but please know, there very well may
be mistakes contained in them.
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Next week: Certificate
