Those who know me well understand that my favorite historical figure is Abraham Lincoln. Several years back, after visiting Washington D.C. and Springfield, Illinois several times, I decided to devote several years to studying the one of a kind legend. There is so much I can and will say about the man in this Blog, in books I am working on, and in speeches I will give. I love his humanity, his wit, his melancholy, his unbending commitment to our nation, his writings, and so much more. If you read nothing else this year, you owe it to yourself to read a great history on Lincoln. For an all around great review, I recommend
Lincoln by David Donald. Probably for the first time in you life you will find out why more has been written about Lincoln than any other person but Jesus Christ. If you suffer depression, loneliness, feel awkward, have lost loved ones, then Lincoln is the man. There is another book called
Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Shenk that is excellent. It explores in depth the emotional challenges--intense depression-- Lincoln had to live with. Lincoln's humanity makes his story grand. You won't regret reading more about him.
Hi Steve, in your first post you mentioned we all have things we must overcome. I came across a book you might like called, "Life Without Limits" by Nick Vujicic that you might like. Or find "The Butterfly Circus" on YouTube, maybe you've heard of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gayla for the great recommendation! I watched the Butterfly Circus (it is a 20 minute short film). I was touched and inspired. The whole family loved it (Let's just say your sister got a bit emotional). For other readers, this is the website for the award winning short film by Joshua Weigel: http://thebutterflycircus.com/. It is also on YouTube. Over 10 million people have watched it. There were two great quotes that stood out for me: "But if you could only see the beauty that comes from ashes." and also, "The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph." You are so right--the film is a perfect example of overcoming diversity (being born without limbs). Whether it is Lincoln, Nick Vujicic (the star), you, or me, we all have to overcome struggles in order to triumph in the end.
ReplyDeleteAny body else out there have a good reference to share?