Here we
are at 8:00, back in our room. Jeff is
snoring next to me, Erin is reading and I’m doing a little writing. My foot is on ice, as I took a twisted tumble
off a stair, and thought it best to elevate and ice to prevent any problems in
the next few days. We toured the Lincoln
museum today. What a beautiful
exhibit. It was nice to see that they didn't sugar-coat the history. Lincoln
was not a well-loved president by all of the people. There were really negative political cartoons
and many angry people who let their views be known. In four years, Lincoln aged
dramatically. Walking through the
exhibit, experiencing the Civil War stories, Lincoln’s assassination and final
train ride back to Springfield was emotional.
We seem to romanticize our larger-than-life leaders, hoping
their legacy will remind us of all the good things accomplished during the time
of their leadership. Or, we vilify them
and do the exact opposite. We forget
that they are humans and, just like the rest of us, can make poor decisions
just as easily as good ones. It’s too
bad we focus only on one or the other instead of seeing the whole.
Thank you for this day and these friends, O Holy One. The friend we can have in history can educate
and guide us, if only we look with wide open eyes and a broad view of the
context of the story. Help us discern
from our history what we can and must do differently to make this country and
world more peaceful and safe. Amen.