Abraham Lincoln's Most Famous Letter

On November 21, 1864; Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to a widow named Lydia Bixby upon learning that she had lost 5 sons in the Civil War. The letter was published in the Boston Transcript on Nov. 25, 1864; the same day she received it. There has been a great deal of controversy over this letter. Some even say Lincoln did not write it.
I believe part of the controversy stems from the fact that in the letter he states his belief in God by stating: "I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement..." Many Lincoln scholars attempt to downplay, ignore or discredit Lincoln's faith in God. I, as a life long student of history, the American Civil War and the life of Lincoln; continue to be persuaded that Abraham Lincoln's faith in God and in God's Word has contributed greatly toward Lincoln being the greatest American President. Here is the letter:

"Dear Madam, I have been shown, in the files of the War Department, a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously in the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice on the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,
Abraham Lincoln."

"To Mrs. Bixby, Boston, Mass."

Whiners and Winners

During the month of September I wrote a blog entitled: "Transfer the Passion." I would like to approach the theme from a different perspective. I submit to you that it is all about attitude. Part of the responsibility of a high school football coach is to decide whether or not it is worth it to keep a certain player even if he has a poor attitude. The big question continues to be: "Can we win games with this guy on the team, can he help us win games?" It is about team. It is about attitude. I remember a great athlete. I grew up with him. He had all the tools. He was outstanding in every sport that he played. I was standing next to him when his little league coach was scolding him for his poor attitude. He ended up quitting the team. I was saddened by his decision. I guess I was too young to understand that it was too hard for him to control; not necessarily his temper.....but his attitude. If one cannot control his cockiness, arrogance, elitest thinking, feelings of superiority; then he cannot control an attitude that is detrimental to the team. I suppose it is akin to the need to control your temper. It hurts; but he will have to go. I understand that not all coaches will agree with me. I think I can understand that. The main goal of a team is to have a winning season. If a coach can be instrumental in changing a player's attitude; then more power to him. I have seen coaches kick players off of a team and then regret what they did. I have seen players humble themselves and ask to be admitted back. This is a tough call for a coach sometimes. Sometimes it is not. It is all about attitude. Of course this also includes the attitude of the coach. Can a coach give a kid enough breathing room so that they both don't lose face? Does the coach have enough integrity, compassion and wisdom to be able to discern what to do in these situations? Does that young player love football enough to change his attitude? Does he love winning enough to change his attitude? One of the jobs of a high school football coach is to turn a whiner into a winner. And the coach needs to know whether or not it is worth the effort.

Little Gangster (Part 9) Six Regretful Weeks

For two weeks Jet Visited Leti practically every night. Jet continued to work at the community college. Jet was not a drinker or a drug user. He had never experienced a hangover in his life. He was a responsible employee. But Leti had introduced him to some new experiences. He was hooked. He was hooked on her. Tiffany was busy with her final exams at UCLA. She and Jet were talking on the phone about twice a week,
usually about 12 minutes per call. Tiffany loved Jet. He was the only boyfriend she had ever had. But Jet was real busy with Leti. They started to spend whole nights together. This lasted for 6 weeks. It was the middle of the month of May. Jet had started to drink beer a little bit. He didn't really like it. He drank because Leti liked to have a few cans with her Marijuana. Leti was still in touch with the gang members in the projects. They respected her because they knew her, and they didn't bother Jet. One night Jet started to feel extremely guilty for his relationship with Leti. He started to miss Tiffany in the worst way. He missed her parents. He missed Tiffany's classy ways, her gentleness, and innocence. Although Jet and Tiffany had never been sexually intimate; they were dear to each other. Jet knew he was hooked on Leti because of the sex. He was "hooked" on her; but he was not in love with her. He was in love with Tiffany. He loved her family. Jet had courage. He had a competitive spirit. He was an athlete. But in this circumstance he really had to dig deep beyond his ego. He was in a tough situation. One thing he was sure of: he needed to end the relationship he had with Leti. It wasn't going to be easy. But he was determined to do it. One night Jet decided to drive to Santa Monica to see Tiffany. They had not seen each other in weeks. Jet had a great deal on his mind. He was worried. But even in spite of all of that; he wanted to surprise her. Jet left work early. He took the 405 and headed West. He nervously arrived at her house. He parked his car, got out, and slowly walked up to her luxurious house surrounded by a beautiful, green, manicured lawn, adjacent to the elegant landscaping. He knocked on the door. Tiffany's dad opened the door. he was so glad to see Jet, he gave him a big hug. This was the first time the dad had ever done that. Tiffany's dad owned a successful accounting business in Santa Monica. His wife was an elementary school teacher. Both were graduates of UCLA. They were financially successful. Tiffany was their only child.

A Freeway World Series

The Los Angeles Angels of the American League, MLB are hot. They will sweep the Yankees. They will move on. The Dodgers will win the National League pennant. The World Series competition will be between the Angels and the Dodgers. The Angels will sweep them in 4 games. The Angels are too "hot to handle" right now.

Bullying In Schools

Bullying in schools can be reduced significantly. A school wide policy needs to exist. But teachers need to be the main players if bullying is to be reduced. Once a teacher told me: "I can't be the world's policeman." No, but he/she needs to take an active part against bullying, and not justify their inaction by saying:"Boys will be boys." No! I say: "Boys will be taught." Without teachers being in direct dissension with bullying; and taking direct action against it; it will continue. Teachers need to have a burden for the safety of students. They need to be creators of "school as a safety zone." Helping to keep a school safe is part of the job of every teacher. The teacher may not view it that way, but it is the truth anyway.

JB's Proposal

To complicate things (or maybe uncomplicate them) JB got an offer from an NFL team to be an assistant coach. The salary was triple of what he was earning as a school teacher. JB waited. "First things first," he thought. It was during the month of March. Football season was over. JB decided he was going to propose marriage to Anne on the approaching Saturday night. He took her to dinner at a restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter of Downtown San Diego. After dinner he said the following words: "Anne, You are really, really special to me. I have never loved anyone the way I love you. I would do anything for you. You are so beautiful and nice. You have been really good to me. You have put up with me. You have put up with my schedule. You have won me over. You have "pancaked" me. "What does `pancaked` mean,"she asked.
"Well, when an a blocker on the offensive team blocks a defender and flattens him; they call that a pancake block. That's what you have done to me. Will you marry me? Before you answer; please allow me to explain something that is very important to me.
I love you. I love football. I have been offered a job to coach football in the NFL. This also is a dream come true. Please understand my situation. I don't want to live without you. If you say yes, we will need to move to the Midwest somewhere. Later, we may need to move somewhere else. We can work things out. Marry me. What do you say? "How soon would you like to get married?" She responded. They have been married over 9 years. They have 2 daughters.

The Two Loves Of The Football Coach

His name was JB. I knew him well. He loved football. He had been playing since his childhood years. He was a star running back in high school and college. He wanted to play in the NFL, this had been his dream for many years. He didn't really care what team he played for. He just wanted to play pro football. He tried out for several teams. Once he survived until the final cut. This was glorious for him. He rubbed elbows with greatness on the gridiron. It whetted his appetite for the NFL. He was told he was not big enough. He never forgot the environment of the NFL. He met many players and coaches. But he never became a professional football player. He became an assistant football coach in college. Later, he became a high school teacher and football coach. During this time; he wrote letters to different NFL teams for the purpose of becoming part of the coaching staff of any team that would accept him. JB knew football. He loved football. He sacrificed for football. A particular team showed some interest in him. However, they did not make him an offer. He kept on teaching and coaching at the high school level. I had the privilege of coaching with him. I learned a great deal from him. He never lost hope that someday an NFL team would hire him. Then something happened to him that had never happened to him before. He fell in love. Her name was Anne. She was tall, slender and beautiful. She was an elementary school teacher. It didn't matter that he was shorter than her. He impressed her too. They dated for 6 months. He wanted to marry her. Now he had 2 great loves. Anne and football. JB had a dillemma: How was he going to propose to her?