“Oh, he’s a politician, you can’t believe anything he says!”
That’s what I heard the other day standing near a couple talking about the upcoming elections. It made me stop and think. Is that really what it has come to?
The story about George Washington and the cherry tree used to be taught in schools to help youngsters learn about honesty. Now it’s often pooh-poohed as a made up tale. The bloom is off the cherry tree—or at least it’s story.
Parson Weems, a regular at George Washington’s dinner table, wrote the story after George had passed away. It may be based
in fact. Parson may have heard it from George himself. (I’m not going to tell the story here, so for more on that tale, go to Founding Fathers—Uncommon Heroes, pages 39-41, if you’d like to read more about it).
Will Durant was an historian and philosopher. He wrote the major treatise “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.” The he distilled more than 2,000 years of history into his favorite 3 little words. Those words? “Love one another.”
“Today one grave is open, and from it has risen a sun that will never be obscured, that will never set, a sun that creates new life, This new sun is the crucified one, the Son of God.” –Jean Marie Vianney
I’ve got to get some new quote books! I looked in six of my favorite quote books to find something said about “Good Friday.” There was nothing in any of them. How does that happen? Well, I guess they’re not really religious quote books, but still . . .
I can remember in detail a story which was told to me several years ago. A good friend had a son, Ken, who was working for a large grocery store in his area. He was a good high school student as well as worker. One evening my friend was waiting in his car to give his son a ride home after work. The store manager appeared at his car window. He rolled it down. The manager introduced himself and asked if her were Ken’s dad.
Many years ago our former President, Calvin Coolidge, said this: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common that unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and dedication alone are all powerful.”
