The End of February and I wasn't even paying attention

As I have been in Limeyland for some time now (that’s England, for me, London), I missed out on the most spectacular of American Holidays. No, not Thanksgiving, I left New York after that gluttonous day of joy.  I am referring to President’s Day.  Oh, great holy holiday of no holiness, you are just a day to give a quick nod to Washington and Lincoln and then be lazy and continue to sleep in.  Truly, an American holiday that has absolutely no obligations attached to it.  No feeling of having to make elaborate plans or organize a party.  The best part is you certainly don’t have to learn anything, unlike other holidays where you have to hear about wise men or something to do with 1776 or how Native Americans and Pilgrims were such chummy neighbors.  So here’s my nod to the dead Presidents and specifically Lincoln.  Not that Lincoln needs any recognition; Lincoln is the subject of the most biographies out of all the U.S. Presidents. 

Here are a few words the great essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson had for President Lincoln upon his death*:

             ...His broad good humor, running easily into jocular talk, in which he delighted and in which he excelled, was a rich gift to this wise man.  It enabled him to keep his secret; to meet every kind of man and every rank in society; to take off the edge of the severest decisions; to mask his own purpose and sound his companion; and to catch with true instinct the temper of every company he addressed.  And, more than all, it is to a man of severe labor, in anxious and exhausting crises, the natural restorative, good as sleep, and is the protection of the overdriven brain against rancor and insanity.

Whatever Emerson may have failed to capture about Lincoln’s character may be captured here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGMxXHT--Io

The above video was created by my friend’s Bill & Max for the last Sparrow Bar Film Festival.  I recommend checking out some of the other entries from past festivals as many talented people have made entertaining contributions to the event.  You can see all the videos at http://www.YouTube.com/sparrowbar

*Excerpt from: “Abraham Lincoln,” The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Modern Library, copyright 2000.  Modern Library is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.