On a trip last week to visit our daughter and to speak about Patrick Henry, I caught a bad cold. On the day I was to make my presentation about one of my favorite founding fathers, I began to lose my voice. I made it through my presentation okay, but my cold and cough got worse. It began to remind me about George Washington.
In December, 1799, George Washington rode out about his beautiful plantation at Valley Forge to mark some trees which needed to be chopped down or trimmed. He kept riding in the midst of snow and sleet. As George returned home, his neck was wet with melted snow and he began to be hoarse.