Happy Birthday

Today we are celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of one of the greatest Americans, one of my all-time heroes, and the man I believe was the greatest American president, Abraham Lincoln. Everyone knows Lincoln's story, and everyone knows about his presidency. We can only imagine what our country would be like today if not for Lincoln; two separate Americas, side by side, or would further strife have created more civil wars, and even more smaller nation-states? How much longer would it have taken to end slavery, and how much more bloodshed would that have cost?

One of the issues I hear about today is the deconstruction of the Lincoln myth, and I like that a great deal. Lincoln wasn't saintly or God-like, he was a man, nothing more. He didn't like black people and definitely thought they were inferior to whites, but he was adamantly opposed to any person being owned by any other person. He made mistakes, and his suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War would probably have gotten him impeached today. He was far from perfect, but he was a man of ideals, and principles, and he wasn't afraid to stand up for what is right. He saved the Union, and for that he shall always be honored and revered.

One of my favorite places to visit in Washington is the Lincoln Memorial. Every time I've been there, I've been awestruck by the statue. A feeling comes over me that can't be described, and I'm not the only one, people speak in hushed tones while they are there, and I have often seen people cry as they look up at Lincoln's face. It is hallowed ground.

183 years after Lincoln was born, another significant birth took place on this day, not one that is known by many people and certainly not one that is celebrated by the nation, but one that is important to me.

Happy Birthday, Abe. Happy Birthday, Jennifer.