Some say that whatever a man has decided to have placed on his tombstone says a lot about what that man considered to be of greatest importance in his life. Knowing that you would think that a man who accomplished as much in his life as did Thomas Jefferson would need a large grave marker. Or perhaps he’d need several tombstones to give the full story.
To my surprise, the first time I visited Jefferson’s gravesite and saw what he personally approved to be mentioned on his marker it was much less than I had expected. He was most proud of just a few things. Jefferson’s marker reads: “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.”
It may be “much ado about nothing”. I still believe that small details are and must be important. It may just be a small peccadillo. But for some reason it seems to be important to me. It may not be something to quibble about, but perception is everything. And it’s how I look at things, especially today—small things are important.
Abraham Lincoln was one for corny jokes. Or of just plain joking about some corny or crazy situations. For example, one day two young men were having a quarrel. It looked to everyone that it may eventually become serious.
James Monroe, while not considered one of the Founding Fathers directly, did serve with and was influenced by them. Monroe was in the camp with George Washington in December, 1776. You recall that was the month that Washington directed the assault across the Delaware River in a snowstorm to attack the British and their hired warriors, the Hessians. The Hessian were considered the most mighty and brutal of all the fighting armies at the time.
In the practice of law and there is a rule of law that questions regarding a contract must be construed by what is said within the 4 corners of the Agreement itself. Contract law is based on this principle. What the document says, controls. If it is not there, the Agreement must then be revised or the question ignored.
Washington learned in his youth to do what is right according to character traits. One of the ways he learned was by practicing good penmanship while writing over and over again “The Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation” as they were dictated to him by his tutor.
One of the interesting stories in history is that about the Nobel Peace Prize. I know our politicians are envious and some are determined to win this prize. It has been awarded to our current President. But few know the background about Alfred Nobel who started the process. Mr. Nobel was a Swedish chemist and the inventor of dynamite. As such he made a fortune in mining, construction and warfare. I wonder how this invention could have changed the Revolutionary War if it had been discovered sooner!
I heard there was a Presidential candidate debate tonight. I didn’t watch it. I was meeting with my siblings and my 96 year old mother about her needs. She is doing quite well for her age. She has slipped a little over the past year. A few months ago she fell and broke her hip. But it has healed nicely without surgery. Even though her memory isn’t what it used to be, she can still carry on a conversation. That’s enough about Mom, now how about politics?
It was so interesting to read a report in the newspaper today about Philadelphia and the Mormons. You may know that the true name of the Mormon Church is “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. They are referred to as the Mormons because they believe in a New Testament of Jesus Christ which is titled The Book of Mormon.