Tag: Abraham Lincoln

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Ab Lincoln Given Cookies in the Oval Office by a Stranger.

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Here is a real teaser…There will be a huge announcement about our bookstore in about two weeks. That’s all folks!

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I have another excerpt from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” 

This book reaches out to those who may be suffering from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

This excerpt talks about giving is better than receiving. I talk about actual people who gave, and didn’t expect anything in return.

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Chapter 67

 

It Is Better to Give than Receive

 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you,

so you must love one another.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John13:34-35

 

Imagine what a heavy schedule of appointments President Abraham Lincoln had to keep day after day. Yet when an elderly woman with no official business in mind asked to see him, he graciously consented.

As she enteredLincoln’s office, he rose to greet her and asked how he might be of service. She replied that she had not come to ask a favor. She had heard that the president liked a certain kind of cookie, so she had baked some for him and brought them to his office.

With tears in his eyes,Lincolnresponded, “You are the very first person who has ever come into my office asking not, expecting not, but rather bringing me a gift. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

My personal dictionary calls this elderly lady a silent hero—someone who does many things for others and never expect anything in return. My Aunt Dollie was the same kind of person. Her goal in life was to make sure her family was well cared for. And she wanted to be sure she had something to leave her children when she passed on. She did just that. She gave a lot of love to her children and many others, and when she passed on she left her family financially secure. But, more importantly, she left them with memories of a woman who stood out as a person who led by example, relied on tough love to mold her family and became a silent hero to many that knew her.

This type of person is high on the Lord’s priority list of how His followers should act. This type of unselfish love is the cornerstone of what the Bible teaches about love.

My brother Dave is a silent hero to me. I didn’t know for over 40 years that he had done something for me that changed my life because he wasn’t out to impress anyone with his love for his family.

When my brother was a senior in high school he told our mother he wasn’t going to go to college because our family couldn’t afford two people going to college at once. He said he would support me and help me make it through so that one of the members of the family could get a degree. Well, it took a long time because of the military and three children, but I got that degree and went into teaching.

I didn’t know about his sacrifice until over 40 years later when my mother told me. That, my friends, is a true silent hero! My brother gave up his chance for a college degree so I could get mine. I will never be able to thank him enough for what he did, but he knows now that my love for him has grown deeper than seems possible between two brothers. I also have become a silent hero in his back pocket to make sure that he knows how much I appreciate what he did for me.

John13:34-35 says that we should love one another as He loves us. We can always think of what the Lord would do to help them and use that as a model for the help we give. Remember His unconditional love, and how He would do anything He could to comfort them and help them through any crisis or stressful situation. That is what silent heroes do.

 

The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled,

and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Mathew23:11-12

 

“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out”

—Frank A. Clark

 

Further Adventures

Look around you and list those you feel are your silent heroes. You don’t need to share your findings with them. Just know that they are there, and be happy knowing that they will always be there for you.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how he who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses?

 

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When you Give Away Something, you get Much More in Return

 Before you read tonight’s post I want to share some exciting news. I signed a contract this last week with Winepress Publishers. The book: Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, will be coming out at the end of August or the first part of September. What follows is an actual excerpt from that book.

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It Is Better to Give than Receive

 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you,

so you must love one another.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 13:34-35

 

Imagine what a heavy schedule of appointments President Abraham Lincoln had to keep day after day. Yet when an elderly woman with no official business in mind asked to see him, he graciously consented.

As she entered Lincoln’s office, he rose to greet her and asked how he might be of service. She replied that she had not come to ask a favor. She had heard that the president liked a certain kind of cookie, so she had baked some for him and brought them to his office.

With tears in his eyes, Lincoln responded, “You are the very first person who has ever come into my office asking not, expecting not, but rather bringing me a gift. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

My personal dictionary calls this elderly lady a silent hero—someone who does many things for others and never expect anything in return. My Aunt Dollie was the same kind of person. Her goal in life was to make sure her family was well cared for. And she wanted to be sure she had something to leave her children when she passed on. She did just that. She gave a lot of love to her children and many others, and when she passed on she left her family financially secure. But, more importantly, she left them with memories of a woman who stood out as a person who led by example, relied on tough love to mold her family and became a silent hero to many that knew her.

This type of person is high on the Lord’s priority list of how His followers should act. This type of unselfish love is the cornerstone of what the Bible teaches about love.

My brother Dave is a silent hero to me. I didn’t know for over 50 years that he had done something for me that changed my life because he wasn’t out to impress anyone with his love for his family.

When my brother was a senior in high school he told our mother he wasn’t going to go to college because our family couldn’t afford two people going to college at once. He said he would support me and help me make it through so that one of the members of the family could get a degree. Well, it took a long time because of the military and three children, but I got that degree and went into teaching.

I didn’t know about his sacrifice until over 40 years later when my mother told me. That, my friends, is a true silent hero! My brother gave up his chance for a college degree so I could get mine. I will never be able to thank him enough for what he did, but he knows now that my love for him has grown deeper than seems possible between two brothers. I also have become a silent hero in his back pocket to make sure that he knows how much I appreciate what he did for me.

John 13:34-35 says that we should love one another as He loves us. We can always think of what the Lord would do to help them and use that as a model for the help we give. Remember His unconditional love, and how He would do anything He could to comfort them and help them through any crisis or stressful situation. That is what silent heroes do.

 

The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled,

and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:11-12

 

“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out”

—Frank A. Clark

 

Further adventures

Look around you and list those you feel are your silent heroes. You don’t need to share your findings with them. Just know that they are there, and be happy knowing that they will always be there for you.

 

Something to ponder

Isn’t it funny how he who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses?

* Excerpt from : Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.

 

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The Rest of the Story

              The Rest of the Story

 

A special edition just for the Oregon State University football fans!!

 

For those of you that have already been coming to this site, you may or may not like today’s post. It is a special one just for the OSU football fans, but I think you will see that it is very interesting too.

 

This post will be about my travels to Pennsylvania to see the Beavers play Penn. State in football. It was a grueling time watching the game. We got beat by a big score. BUT! The side trips that Eola Hills Winery in Rickreall, Oregon put on added up to a trip full of history, and fun times. If you want to check out prices for some of their Blue Ribbon/Gold Medal awarded wines, or want to know more about the trips, go to www.eolahillswinery.com . They have a great site with lots of information about their products. They do ship the bottles also.

(That ought to get me a free glass of wine!!)

 

Day one of trip:

 

Our first stop was Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A beautiful town that was in the middle of the history from the Civil War. That would be our “base camp,” before going to the Penn State game.

 

Tom Huggins, owner of Eola Hills Winery, went to the area ahead of time and set up some fantastic side trips.

 

The side trip I went on was to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Sound familiar? You got it! It was the spot of the deciding battle during the Civil War.

 

We got to the town right at lunch time. We had made plans to eat at the Dobbin House Tavern. We were sent to the Abigail Adams Ballroom. It was a large eating area, and we was able to get all sixty of us in quite easily.

 

It was buffet style, and there was enough food for an army. By the way the armies did eat there during the Civil War. Did you understand what I just said? There were Union soldiers there and then the Confederates were there after they chased the Union soldiers down the streets, and out into the main battle field. Right in the room I was eating had soldiers eating there.

 

There is one other little bit of history about the Dobbin House Tavern, There is a balcony there, and someone gave the famous Gettysburg Address, right across the street from the Tavern. The people who stood on the balcony could see none other than Abraham Lincoln giving one of the most famous speeches of all times. I was right at the spot where they think he stood. What an awesome feeling to know that Abraham Lincoln stood on the same spot I was!! You can learn more about Dobbin House Tavern by do a Google search writing in its name.

 

Then we drove through Gettsyburg to the battle field. What we saw as we drove through was absolutely amazing. The brick buildings that were open for business the day we went through, were the same exact brick buildings that were there during the Civil War. Need prove??? There were still the original bullet holes in the buildings from the battle as the two sides fought going down through the street. There was even one house that had a cannon shell stuck way up near the roof. The owner didn’t want it removed, because it was a tourist attraction!! You could almost hear the noise of the guns going off, and the non-fighters screaming in fear.

 

On the way to the battle field, we went by several churches. Our personal guide, Erin Haynes, told us that those churches were all full during the battle with wounded soldiers from both sides.

 

As we reached the actual battle field I was in shock as to how peaceful the battle field looked. It was just like any farm land with fences, tall grass, and homes with barns scattered through out the field. The barns, and the homes were used by the Generals to plan their attacks.

 

I got out of the van, and lined up along a fence were cannons that were used during the battle. We were on the confederate side. We were told that the cannons balls could go for hundreds of feet, and cause heavy damage to the other side.

 

There was even an elderly man dressed in a full confederate uniform sitting by a tree and telling some big tales about the war. He of course thought the south won.

 

Before we left the Confederate side, I saw a wreath placed at the foot of a statue of a general from the war. It brought a swelling of tears to my eyes. On it was a memorial to the deaths three men. It was a father and two of his sons. They all died in the same battle. All the men from one family gone!

 

We then drove to the union side. As I looked back at the confederate side, it didn’t look that far away, and it wasn’t. It was about 10 football field lengths away. (I know the length of the football fields, because of thirty years of officiating.) That is about ¾ of a mile give or take a few feet.

 

The three day war was fought within that small space! Thousands of men from each side battled with guns, cannons, bayonets, and fists. One spot I was standing the guide said according to diaries, and stories from the elders, there was a hand to hand bayonet battle going on!! Right where I was standing!! Again, can’t you hear the clanging of the metal of the bayonets, and the screams of the wounded?

 

We were then taken to the top on one of the mountains/hills called Little Round Top. It was controlled by the North. They thought they could win the war by controlling that spot and shoot down on the enemy. There was one problem. it was called, Devil’s Den. All you could see were a pile of rocks, some about the height of a tall man. The confederate got control of it and caused havoc with the Unions soldiers. They were able to “Hunker,” down and not be seen behind the rocks, and they could raise up long enough to get a shot off, and usually killed a soldier. That was where the first snipers were used. They were called “sharpshooters,” in those days. To read about the whole battle at Devil’s Den, Google in Devil’s Den, in the Google search area, and click on Devil’s Den Gettsyburg. It goes into complete detail there.

 

Like I said, the battle lasted three days with over 20,000 men either wounded or killed. That was in three days!! Can you imagine that happening with our wars today? War is not a picnic, and I wish they never had to happen. Especially battling against your own brothers, which actually happened in the Civil War. Families had relatives on both sides. They were so set on their beliefs that they would kill members of their own family.

 

To cut to the chase, the Union army gained control and drove the Confederates out of Pennsylvania.

 

It is hard for me to continue to tell how the battle went each day, but it was several mistakes by the Confederate Generals that turned the tide.

 

That was just one day!!!

 

I will have this be the first stop on the trip, and I will post this. I will have new adventures in future posts.

I will talk about the trip to visit the home where President Eisenhower lived in his retirement days.

There is the drive on the way to Boston that was very interesting. I will also talk about all the history that I saw such as:

 

The USS Constitution (Old Iron Sides)

 

Cooperstown, New York, where the baseball hall of fame is.

 

Fenway Park where the Boston Red Sox play.

 

The excitement of staying in the very hotel that Babe Ruth and Ted Williams lived during the season. This same hotel is where Shoeless Joe Jackson took the bribe to throw the World Series.

 

There will be my observations of the places is saw where women were hung for being (so called) witches.

 

Standing at the spot of the Boston Tea Party, and many more historical places we visited riding on a double decker bus.

 

This post is directly on this site for now. You need to subscribe to get further stories that will be coming in the new newsletter for those that subscribe. You can subscribe by clicking on the “Newsletter,” tab and filling out the form for subscribing. You will get an email notification that you are subscribed, and you can opt out any time you want.

 

The newsletter will have stories like you see above.

A section with photography from my trips. 

It will also have excerpts from the book, Close Encounters of the Heavenly Kind: Through Bumper Stickers. This has been a labor of love of mine since 2001. It is a book that reaches out to the many people who have suffered from self doubt, depression, fear, or hopelessness.

 

I have been there in that muck and mire. I have had all those afflictions and more. I was on the brink of suicide at one time, but God intervened, and saved my life. He wanted me to write the book to help others that have been in the trenches with me.

 

To find out more about the book, you will have to subscribe. That is the only place that I will be releasing the excerpts. It won’t hurt you! You will not get a rash if you subscribe. You will be able to opt out any time you have decided that I am blowing too much wind and you want to  shelter yourself from it.

 

I love being able to talk to you. I will be much more serious when I get down to the excerpts, but for now I would like to hear from you and what you think of the site, or have comments on what is posted. A website is never much if people do not interact.

 

Be sure to go back and forth between the two sites. The other one is called www.depressionsuppressed.com There is a link for it right on this site. It is a site that has ways to battle depression, and all the other afflictions that attack our minds. It has been going longer, so there is a lot of material to read there.

 

You can also click on the RSS widget, and when ever I make a post you will be notified immediately.

 

OUT!!