the leavitts

I’m new to the blogosphere. Sort of. I’ve read plenty of blogs, but now is the time to jump in. No better time than President’s Day! I’ll warn you, I’m not as good of a writer as Marisa, and sometimes I can be dry, but I figure it’s time to start sharing my testimony and perspective of all these adventures Marisa blogs about.

A few weeks ago, Marisa and I watched a T.V. interview of President George W. Bush. Of course I enjoyed it because I’m a nerd like that, but Marisa was uncharacteristically interested too. She consented to let me buy his new book Decision Points.

Out of all my undergraduate classes, I probably enjoyed my class on the Executive Branch the most. The office and administration intrigue me. Amidst all the political books or articles I’ve read on the presidency—and I would have to say comparatively it’s not a lot—I recently finished one of the greatest books about one of the greatest men that lived in one of the greatest periods of history. The book is on the six-foot-six, admired President Abraham Lincoln. The title: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. The daunting 754 pages seemed like it would never end. But for all you Harry Potter fans, you haven’t read anything until you pick this brick of a book up.

Lincoln’s genius was unprecedented. Although his presidency was flooded with mistakes, he never gave up. At the end of his life, as the war ended in1865, his worry for both Union and Confederate soldiers leads me to conclude that he had Charity—the pure love of Christ. Mathew Holland, in his essay With Charity for All and his book Bonds of Affection, describes how Lincoln’s charitable attributes saved the Union, holding it together amidst a war stricken nation of brother fighting brother. As I finished the book, I came to love Lincoln and his example. He makes me want to try harder, care more, write often, and love broadly. His tall stature isn’t the only thing I’ll remember about him; his character was just as big as the nation itself.

Now it's our turn to develop the sound thoughts, firm characteristics, and loving attitudes that Lincoln and many of our past presidents have exemplified.

Happy birthday presidents of the United States of America!