If you read this blog, you know I'm knee deep into several historical books, the most incredible of which is John Adams (by David McCullough). I became interested in this book after watching the HBO miniseries with the same name. I was deeply moved by the miniseries for several reasons: 1) history truly came to life for me as never before and 2) John and Abigail Adams intrigued and captivated me. The TV show sort of sparked my interest and I'm feeding the fire by reading everything I can get my hands on.

History is often perceived as dull and irrelevant. And what a false perception. The history of America, alone, is incredibly interesting - wars, intrigues, passions, mistakes, successes, decisions being made which would not only NOT be irrelevant, but would literally build the foundations of America and set the course for our future. The decisions made by our founding fathers were made slowly, with great consideration and foresight, with heated debates and discussions, considering prior civilizations and their failures and successes. Every decision they made was for me. And my children.

John Adams was one of many men who literally dedicated their LIVES to constructing the United States of America. He was a flawed man, but a truly GREAT man. Fortunately, he was an avid recorder of his thoughts, ideas, daily situations and experiences as well as a prolific letter writer - to his beloved wife and to his dearest friends. The record he leaves us is so intensely personal I almost feel guilty reading it!

He struggles with feelings of pride, inadequacy, his unwavering sense of duty to this country and to God, struggles with feelings of guilt for spending so much time away from his family, he has such high expectations of his relationships with other people, for himself and others...he was incredibly well-read and highly intelligent. He was stubborn and unyielding when he believed he was truly right. He was a voice of reason and a steady hand in rough, shaky times.

He made the following observation to his wife, lamenting about the bad behavior of American troops in 1776:

"Unfaithfulness in public stations is deeply criminal. But there is no encouragement to be faithful. Neither profit, nor honor, nor applause is acquired by faithfulness...There is too much corruption, even in this infant age of our Republic. Virtue is not in fashion. Vice is not infamous."

Without even looking at a particular group of people, in general as applied to ALL people, those words are just as true today on January 30, 2009 as they were in October of 1776. How much things change and yet stay exactly the same.

As John Adams and his fellow Congressmen observed the state of humanity and the current struggle to extricate America from Great Britain, Benjamin Rush asked John Adams in a whisper if he thought America would succeed in the struggle.

"Yes," Adams replied. "If we fear God and repent our sins."