"to be dedicated here to the unfinished work..." - Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
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On the occasion of my 60th and with apologies to Abraham Lincoln...
Three score years ago my parents brought forth on this continent, a new child, conceived in love, and dedicated to the proposition that he will not grow old.
Now I am engaged in a biological war, testing whether this tendon, or this memory so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. I am met on a great battle-field with aging. I have come to dedicate a portion of my memory, as a final resting place for those who gave their love that I might prosper. It is altogether fitting, if belated, that I should do this.
But, in a larger sense, I can not dedicate - I can not consecrate - I can not hallow - these memories. My brave parents, who have passed, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above my poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what I say here, but I am grateful to parents, family, and friends and what they did here.
It is for me while still living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who brought me here have thus so nobly advanced. It is rather for me to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before me - that from my four sons I take increased devotion to that cause for which they give their full measure of devotion - that I here highly resolve that my parents shall not have died in vain -- that this child, of God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that dedication to the family, to the friends, to the community, shall not perish from the earth.
Since you have read this far, please read something far more worthy:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
– Abraham Lincoln, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Thursday, November 19, 1863
How about you? How was your birthday? Share a story?
Blog Notes:
At Gettysburg, Lincoln said our nation was not built on the Constitution, but on the Declaration of Independence. For more read: Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America, by Garry Wills.
