The sun shines on white, frosty roofs this morning. No matter the color of the shingles, they all look the same–cold! But, under the frigid rooftops, inside the house, I hope there is warmth and love and comfort.
Just in case we have forgotten, this is Presidents’ Day, but it isn’t the birthday of either Mr. Lincoln or Mr. Washington. Mr. Lincoln was born on February 12, Mr. Washington on February 22. This is just in case anybody wants to do a fact check. When I was a grade school student, ever so many decades ago, and later, when I was a teacher, we read books about these two important men. We colored hatchets and cherry trees, log cabins and top hats. Children wrote their own stories and learned about what the lives of girls and boys were like, during the time George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were youngsters.
What was the weather like when a newborn baby named Abe entered the world in Kentucky on February 12, 1809? Was frost on the roof of his home at Popes Creek, Virginia, when little George first saw the light of day on February 22, 1732? Did either of them have any idea when they were boys that we’d be celebrating their birthdays more than 200 years later? I doubt it.
We would do well to remember their dedication and self-sacrifice, their courage and their faith. Their lives were not always peaceful and pleasant. Sometimes, they didn’t even have a roof over their heads to shelter them from the cold. Both Mr. Washington and Mr. Lincoln endured many hardships, but they shared a love for this country and a determination to do what they perceived to be right.
Speak Your Mind