Wisdom from Mr. Lincoln

“Adhere to your purpose
and you will soon feel
as well as you ever did.
On the contrary,
if you give up,
you will lose your power
of keeping any resolution,
and will regret it
all your life.”

— Abraham Lincoln

Well, it’s nice to have some company.

Thankfully, though there is still a lingering stigma sometimes, talking about one’s struggles and troubles isn’t taboo any more.

ajh

Never send the original!

The site where Abraham Lincoln’s parents, Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, lived during the 1840s is planning a celebration of his birthday. They lived near some of my ancestors, the Parkers and the Goodells.

I learned something, a historical sidenote, that I did not know.

“The original cabin was disassembled and shipped to Chicago for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and was never seen again.”

Why would anyone dismantle and send the cabin to Chicago? Why not just make a replica?

I am convinced that some of my relatives knew Thomas and Sarah and possibly Abraham as well, when he was working as congressman and then a lawyer in Illinois.

And another strange fact is that a great-great grandfather and his family lived in Chicago during the World’s Columbian Exposition.

So don’t forget, everyone is a witness to history— you, me, every single one of us.

 

ajh

Lincoln towers over Fidel, 1959

I have tweaked this image a bit, manipulating the contrast, so it will print better on a black-and-white laser printer. I love high contrast imagery. I may use this for a piece of art at some point. The photograph, by photographer Alberto Korda, is titled David and Goliath.

ajh

Remarkable, Heroic, Talented & A Friend of Lincoln

One of the most remarkable, heroic, and talented men of all time was an American who was born a slave. Ever since reading his autobiography, in high school I think it was, I’ve been fascinated with the man.

On the first day of February 2016, Google celebrated the birthday of Frederick Douglass, the actual day of which wasn’t known, even to him, with a doodle. For that I am thankful to Google, for reminding me of this spectacular specimen of a man.

Everyone should learn more about him. Read what he wrote. Study what he said, what he did, how he lived. And be inspired.

ajh