Daily:
July 04, 2004
This Day of Deliverance
[This day] will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commermorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.
You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the mans; that posterity will triumph in that day s transaction, even though we may regret it, which I trust in God we shall not.
- From John Adams to his wife, Abigail
Posted at 02:59 PM Personal Comments (0)
July 03, 2004
Justin
I was choosing which fruit to place in my basket when I felt his arms slip around my waist.
My basket swung sharply as I whirled to see who was behind me. A little boy stood there, beaming. He looked to be about 8 years old and he was chuckling.
In my shock, I said rather harshly, Can I help you?
His smile grew wider as he giggled, No, I m fine.
I gave him an odd look and then turned my back to him as I once again began picking out my fruit. I figured he was mistaking me for someone else.
About five minutes later, while I was picking out a new razor, he came dashing down the aisle. He flung his arms around me again and said in a whisper, By the way, I m Justin.
My eyes widened a bit and I looked around for his parent. For someone. But no one came.
Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I hugged him back and whispered, My name is Jennifer.
Are you married, Jennifer? No, not yet, Justin.
He stood with me while I picked out a razor and then we went and glanced through magazines. I couldn t help but watch him as his eyes took in everything around him. His fingers brushed the slick covers and he asked, What do you call these?
Magazines. Do you like to read, Justin?
Oh, yes.
I asked him if he was excited about Independence Day, if he liked to watch the fireworks, and what his favorite food was. We laughed at the funny looking cupcakes on display and he held my hand while I picked out some new ice cream.
And just like that, he dashed away.
He found me again when I reached the eggs. I had worn my hair down tonight and suddenly I felt fingers running through it.
You have such pretty hair, Jennifer.
Thank you, Justin.
He gave me one last smile and then I never saw Justin again tonight.
Posted at 09:28 PM Happenings Comments (0)
June 30, 2004
How We Should Live
I walked into the office of our new commercial lender today to ask him a question and observed a most unusual thing. He s very different than our other officers and I would even go so far to say that he has more class, more prestige, and a little more edge when it comes to business. He goes out of his way to speak with everyone through the day, he will meet with a client at the drop of a hat, and he s great at remembering names. I had never been in his office before and while talking with him, I noticed that he had elephant prints scattered on the walls.
It was a little uncommon and so I asked him how long he d liked elephant things. He laughed, leaned back in his chair, and asked me if I really wanted to know why he loved elephants so much. For the next 20 minutes I discovered that elephants live in a society, they protect the elders when they are dying, they mourn for each other, they teach their young to respect the sick among them, and they have an amazing sense of concern for each other. One of the scenes on the wall depicts a herd of elephants surrounding a carcass and each one of the elephants is lined up by rank- waiting to brush their trunks against it in respect. Even the small baby elephants are line. He pointed at the painting and said, it s a beautiful picture of how we should live, don t you think?
In an office that is constantly buzzing with account questions, irate clients, and how to make the most money in a given day- it was nice to see a tender side of someone. I couldn t help but shake my head in awe as I left his office.
