The Lessons of Lincoln

When Abraham Lincoln was a child what were his dreams? His mind wandering off into the distance after reading, what did he imagine his future life to be?

Dreaming, hoping, praying, looking for inspiration. It seems to me, we all start in this same place. Some of us end up with great successes, and others just end up with huge disappointments. Most of us, however, land somewhere in the middle. 

No matter the decade or century, the stories all end up sounding similar. And history, no matter how hard we may try, seems destined to repeat itself.

I am sure when Lincoln was a boy he never imagined the kind of hatred that would spew when he was elected. Nor, could he have ever forseen the willingness of family, friends and neighbors to turn on each other and split this country in two. All because of the financial greed of the slave trade. 

The fear of cultural and economic change was as frightening then as it is now. And, sadly, we all know how that turned out.

I mentioned the similarities of dislike for Lincoln then and Obama now to my sister. To which, her head immediately exploded as she ran from the room claiming the media isn't hard enough on him. I am constantly astonished at the inability for any civil discourse when it comes to Obama. The same seemed to happen to Lincoln. 

Those opposed to both Presidents used, and are using, rhetoric steeped in fear and hate. There wasn't, and isn't, any truth behind the words. But if the sound bytes get repeated enough - people start to believe them. And if you even attempt to ask questions, remind them what the constitution actually says or, god-forbid, present the facts, you are greeted with eye-popping, face-reddening rage. 

It is frightening. I've seen it first hand. I'm depressed just thinking about it.

I now understand how a country gets to a point of civil unrest. Logic goes out the window. Compassion flees through the back door. Fear makes us its slave. And when fear takes hold, history shows us over and over again, terrible things happen.

I'm dreaming, hoping, praying and looking for inspiration that those of us in the middle, don't end up paying the price AGAIN because of the greed and fear of others.

Speaking of Springfield.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Springfield, Illinois for the second time in my life. The first time was almost 40 years ago, when my father took my sisters and I to visit Abraham Lincoln's home and tomb. A lot has changed since then.

Home to more than 120,000 people, Springfield truly is the land of Lincoln. Community leaders and visionaries have done a remarkable job of not only working to restore their city, but in also dedicating their efforts to teach the true story of Abraham Lincoln and his role in American history. 

The city also boasts of being a home to midwest value. I would agree. Hotel rooms and restaurants are reasonably priced; bus services to historical areas will cost you a whole $1 and when you get to your destination, most are free. 

I've heard the best things in life are free. I think many of them might be in Springfield!

Click here to visit the Springfield Visitors Bureau website.

Click here for Historical Sites in Springfield, Illinois.

For more images from Springfield, click on the montage below to visit my flickr photostream.

Yes. Another bird picture.

I know. I KNOW. But, I couldn't help myself. 

I mean, look at the little guy.

During a recent trip to Springfield, Illinois, I discovered this sweet baby complaining from his perch on a fence rail. 

While momma bird swooped and chirped, this toddler let the humans gathering around him know how unhappy he was.

Lucky for this little bird, his home was in a tree near Abraham Lincoln's historic Springfield house, where park rangers were in charge of his destiny.

Within minutes, through careful manipulation with a tree branch (no human touch), he was lifted back to the tree from where he fell. 

Momma bird greeted him with a firm lecture.

"The world has changed, and we must change with it."

While I don't use this blog for politics (my family and friends are PAINFULLY aware of my political leaning), the meaning of today was too significant to let pass without mention.

Today, Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office as the 44Th president of the United States. The only way this day could have been any better for me was if I had been in DC.

I had planned to do this, I had booked the hotel rooms 11 months ago, after hearing his speech when he won the Iowa caucuses. I continued to talk up my plans every time he won a primary contest and when he sealed the deal in November. But life doesn't always go as planned, and I had to cancel the trip.

While, I am okay watching this historic event on television, I know deep down inside, I will always regret not being there in person. (My sister has suggested that we practice some fictional revisionism for our future grandchildren. I think with some creative photoshop work, we might be able to pull it off. Of course, I'll have to rewrite this portion of my blog, and make sure none of our children are in the room when we weave our story for the grand kids!)

I was originally moved by Barack Obama's speech of hope and change. His intelligence, eloquence, and sincerity touched me. I had never been involved in politics (well, there was a couple days during the Mondale campaign - but that was mostly about a helping a friend), but Obama's message was different than the other politicians I'd heard. It rang of patriotism and humanity in the style of Lincoln, Kennedy and King.

I started my contributions to his campaign and signed up to REALLY work on my first Presidential campaign. My passion was about his message, the fact that he was black didn't really impact me until a precinct meeting I attended in June for the campaign. At that meeting I had the opportunity to meet people who worked on the Bobby Kennedy campaign. After his and Martin Luther King's assassinations, they had given up on politics. They believed their dreams and the dreams of hundreds of thousands like them had died too. They saw in Barack Obama fulfillment of what they had fought for during the Civil Rights Movement, and the dreams of equality that Kennedy and King had strived for.

I was honored to have the opportunity to work along side them. As President Obama has said, "It is not about me, it is about you". I believe that is true. And, it isn't only limited to our generation of Americans, but those who came before us. Our liberal forefathers and their visionary founding documents laid the path for these ideals. Obama's message for change and equality reaffirms the journey our nation has always been on. Our country was built on the shoulders of men and women who were dreamers and risk takers. And by those who have fought and died for more than 200 years to bring change and to do the right thing.

The election of Barack Obama was the right thing. His acceptance speech reaffirms that fact, as he reminds us "a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant, can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath". I am only sorry it took so long for our nation to truly embrace the meaning of liberty and equality. Now, we can truly say ANY American boy or girl CAN become America's leader. I am proud of my fellow Americans who, by electing Obama president, have chosen the politics of hope over fear, inclusion over exclusion and intelligence and compassion over fundamentalism and greed.

My hopes and dreams are now lifted for my children, nieces, nephews and their children. I believe with hard work they will have the same opportunity for success our generation did, but they will also be more compassionate human beings not driven by greed. I see an opportunity for them to learn to give back to their communities, and strive to enrich the lives of all.

In the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

I've borrowed this image from Central Michigan Life photographer, Matthew Stephens. I like to picture myself right about here in the crowd, sharing the enthusiasm and feeling the pride of the history of this moment. For more images please visit Matt's blog at: A Sunday's Drive