Hope Diamond smudges

During our recent visit to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, DC, the kids and I had the chance to see the famous Hope Diamond up close.

If you don’t know the history of the Hope Diamond, it’s worth reading—a fascinating tale of crime, intrigue, politics, mystery, and revelation.

The diamond is displayed in a glass case in the center of a room, rotating slowly on a pedestal. The room was crowded with people waiting their turn to see and photograph the gemstone. As I was waiting my turn to get close, my phone rang. It was Elysha, who was enjoying lunch with our friend.

I stepped away to take the call.

Midway through our conversation, I turned around to check on the kids and spotted Charlie. He had somehow wormed his way in front of the dozens of people in the room and was staring at the Hope Diamond, his small hands pressed against the pristine glass case, blocking an entire side of the display case with his body and plastering the glass with fingerprints.

“Charlie, please remove your hands from the Hope Diamond’s display case!” I shouted.

A woman beside smiled, laughed, and said, “A collection of words probably never spoken before in the history of the world.”

I’m quite sure she was correct.