Happy Presidents Day. This is a good day to reflect on why we have presidents instead of kings, czars, or some other autocratic ruler. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that these men, elected to the highest office in the land, with all the weight of crucial decisions on their shoulders are, first of all, just men–fallible people with shortcomings, just as you and I are. That’s why we need to pray for them, that their decisions will be the right ones.
I like to read personal stories about our presidents. I read an interesting anecdote about another President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and a stubborn and power-resistant Loblolly Pine. Mr. Eisenhower, the most powerful man in the world, enjoyed golfing at the Augusta National Golf Club. He enjoyed it except for one thing–a loblolly pine. It stood squarely in the way and the only thing to do was hit the golf ball over it or somehow, around it. The tree infuriated the President because he hit it so often. He campaigned to have it taken down but was over-ruled.
It isn’t often that a tree meets with the power of the Presidency and comes out the winner! The tree became known as The Eisenhower Tree or Ike’s Tree. Nature finally did what the President could not. At last, it had to be removed because of severe ice damage. The beautiful, 65-foot tall pine will be missed but probably Ike would be delighted and would smile that wide, infectious grin, triumphant at last.
Used to be, we celebrated George Washington’s birthday on February 22 and Mr. Lincoln’s on February 12. Those are still their birthdays, and I hope we don’t forget that. It’s nice, however, to take a moment to reflect, not only on these two, but on all the men who have been elected to serve at the helm of this great nation.
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