Leaving the Land of Lincoln - With God I Cannot Fail
As an Illinoisian and a devoted Abraham Lincoln fan I have always been proud that Illinois’ nickname, and official state slogan is “The Land of Lincoln.” This gives tribute to Lincoln’s early political career in Springfield, Illinois where he lived and worked for over a quarter of a century. This is where his children were born and raised.
Today I’m getting ready to move from Illinois. Watching as the packers take boxes and furniture out of my home, I’m feeling about as empty as my house is becoming. Naperville, Illinois is where my children have been born and raised. This is where my family and I have lived for almost 40 years. Saying goodbye is difficult. My thoughts have turned towards Lincoln and the time he moved from Illinois himself to take on the presidency of the United States of America in Washington DC.
Our home on Loomis Street
I decide to go on-line and read his farewell speech. On February 11, 1861, he stood at the Great Western Railroad station in Springfield and bid an emotional farewell to his friends. Saying,
“No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this this place and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.”
I can relate to this tender thought with the people I know here. I too feel in debt to my friends. Midwesterners are kind and good. They’re hardy and are very much the salt of the earth.
Zipping up my suitcase I start thinking about Lincoln and his wife Mary packing their trunks.
One thing I have to believe is that Lincoln did not have as much stuff to move as my husband, Mark and I do. Having a lot of things makes moving miserable. Abundance can be a burden! Mark, and I have been promising ourselves for the last few days to become minimalists.
Continuing to read Lincoln’s farewell speech I can feel his somber and powerful personality coming out which I believe comes from the fact that Lincoln suffered with and learned from a mental illness. Lincoln was described as suffering from melancholy, a condition which modern mental health professionals would characterize as clinical depression and anxiety. I can relate because I live with depression and anxiety. I believe this condition helped him to be a more compassionate and a stronger person which was advantageous as he took on the presidency at such a vulnerable time in the history of our country. He is a great example to me of facing and overcoming obstacles.
The thing I love the most about Lincoln and possibly the reason he is so revered, is his devotion to a higher source, to God. At his farewell he said,
“I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.”
Naperville Illinois - Farewell Openhouse
He then commends his friends to God’s care and bids them an “affectionate” farewell.
As I climb in my Honda Pilot with Mark to drive west on I -88 to begin our mission in Santa Rosa California, I think about what Lincoln said, and waves of relief come over me. I decide to borrow this saying from this great man. “With God I cannot fail.”
Please join us on this journey. Each week I will add a post/letter to this website. Elaine
