The Presidents of Presidents Day

Presidents Day, initiated to combine the birthday celebrations of Abraham Lincoln, February 12 and George Washington, February 22, into a "long weekend holiday" has done little to honor the memory of these great leaders. Once a big day of special sales, that too has gone by the wayside, as one car dealer said recently, "even presidents day is dead."  Perhaps if we look at the men we honor, even if in name, we might appreciate more why we set this day aside as a holiday.   George Washington, considered by some our greatest president, not only led the successful revolution to gain freedom from Britain, but he nurtured the young nation through its painful early years, and with the help of other greats, like James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, turned the once 13 colonies into a unique constitutional republic.  Washington was a visionary as well, putting his life and wealth on the line to bring forth this new nation.  Often forgotten, or deliberately overlooked, in his farewell address at the end of his second term, he warned that meddling in the internal affairs of foreign countries would weaken our own country, depleting its financial and personnel resources and causing division within that could destroy it.  A look at the past fifty years of our history verifies his advice and his prediction.
Abraham Lincoln stands even taller in the eyes of history than he did in life.  A man of strong convictions and determination, he grew in the understanding of his mission to preserve the union which led to the abolition of slavery, a huge and costly (to him) step in our country's further growth.
A prayer of gratitude for these men and their legacy, as well as a prayer for fidelity to their values and love of our country, are in order today.
Bro. Rene