Did Lincoln take a vacation?

Vacations and presidents seems to be a hot topic today. I was thinking "How many days of vacation did Abraham Lincoln take? In movies there were social events, we know that Mary Todd Lincoln played hostess to parties in the White House. We know from history that he went to a play in which he was assassinated. I googled that question and try to couple search engines but I didn't find any answers. Did the his presidency think of holidays like we do today? Certainly the the common working man, farmer had a few vacation days back in the 19 century. Writers like Mark Twain and scholars took oversea trips and travels. The wealthy could afford time off.

But it almost seems inappropriate think that Abraham Lincoln took vacation days. We know little bit about Roosevelt where he went to Hyde Park. But he would be used to holidays coming from an aristocratic background. That would be interesting to see how many days presidents took time off in their service. I think it would be hard to imagine John Adams taking a day off.

The crisis of the Civil War I am sure preventing Abraham Lincoln from taking too many advantages of his office. The crisis itself gave Abraham Lincoln's legacy. We seem to remember presidents who had hard times to deal with and their legacy seems to be result of that. A president's term of office is such a short time in his life. He or she would have to pay the price of that service.

Maybe the country had different standard of time off in Lincoln's day. Maybe we should take a look at their way of living to meet the hard times in our own time.

I will keep looking for that answer of his vacation days, but if you know something let me know. Keep walking

Quiet Waters

Reading today article from the blog my Wayne Styles about a place where David King David and the prophet Jeremiah went to find a place where there was water for them to hide from their enemies.
David speaks of it in Psalm 23 "He leads me beside still waters."

Such a simple idea, yet there are times when we need such a place. We would probably think of a resort or vacation spot with all the conveniences of our modern world. To actually go to where these guys did 3000 years ago or 2700 years ago we would be in shock. Surrounding the oasis would be some trees and basically be a desert. Conditions we would think are worse than some of the modern survival shows that we see in TV. Survival today would be very risky but then we don't have the skills that David had our Jeremiah and living off the land.
In Psalm 23 David talks about God feeding him providing him with his needs and guiding him through the very difficult issues of life. In the real world are lives can be very fragile and there can be all kinds of bad things around us. Sometimes we just need a quiet place where we can be renewed and refreshed. A time where we can sort things out and understand what are the best things need to sort out. My experience sights it takes  few years to work it out.
I know there are times when we need to heal, and repair. Other times we have a real need to escape crazy people who want a harm and hurt us. How many kids live in cities where hundreds of people kill each other every year. Or maybe we can live in a so called home where it should be safe and it's anything but safe. I remember some of the retreats I went to as a young Christian and how helpful they were to me and sorting things out.
Even today and 62, how good is it to know that the Lord still leads beside still waters. My life skills and knowledge are a lot better but life can still be very fragile. David refers to it as the shadow of death. We've all been there and we have her own experiences.
I took time to look pictures and art of what people thought of quiet waters. The differences make sense because we have different experiences with water. But all the pictures differ from the stark realities of David's and Jeremiah's situation. Their safe zone required daily work to survive. We have in mind leisure and care.

But maybe that is closer to what happens in our lives. In real life the quiet times, healing time, rest, takes place in the midst of trials, invasive procedures, and troublesome people. Our quiet place may be a library, corner a house, local park, hospital, or busy coffee shop. Unfolding will be a step by step trail of obedience where we move three steps forward, and two steps back. Some thing may be unexpected but soon we begin to see a better place. Like David, the Bible near by unfolding line upon line. I have found in my life God teaches and leads one step at a time. Once learned He builds on tat foundation.
Take a look at Psalm 23 again we may know it so look at it maybe from a new translation and find a place of still waters for you. Keep walking

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It is true talking about one's health can become "old hat".

Chicago lighthouse and tall ship, Lake Michigan

It is true talking about one's health can become "old hat". Something Dennis Miller said, struct true. "Everybody who hits 90 has problems." He said it funnier. We all have our struggles. Talking about them has a way of driving people away. There is way of saying, "way to much information."
I think we like hearing "I lost 100 lbs." "I have been cancer free for 5 years." "I just competed in my 50th marathon." With before and afterward pictures and a spot on a talk show. (Instant solutions)
As I look around that is not what I see. Most of the audience on Dr. Oz's show look over weight. All the tips and insights don't seem to show long term results. I went to a ball game the other day and it seemed like obese people were all over the place. The other day I saw a clip of an obese man sleeping at the ballgame and he was really out. The announcers saw the humor and shared their thoughts. The unaware fan sued them. The camera shows all of our fat and can be unforgiving.
There is good information out there and there are lots of people taking advantage of the opportunities to live better. But there are many who struggle.
In my life and research I find it is harder than we think to lose weight and live healthier. There simply isn't any easy solutions or fast fixes. It can be a common experience of little change over the years. Someone loses weight and check back in a year or two and they have gained it back. This story won't get much "copy" or be something everybody wants to read. A chronic condition and coping is not the most exciting news to right about. But I believe it is more common than overcoming.
For overweight people, working on it may be the only hope they have.
Don't give up. Recently on the day of my uncle's funeral I fell back and hit my head on a window sill. To say I had a big bump on my head is an understatement. I have shared some of my falls in the past. It is an ongoing problem. One of those things people don't want to hear. Some of the falls have interfered with my fitness. I now use nordic poles on uneven ground and thinking about cane support on sidewalks.
What you are trying to do pays off. What I have done has been good for me. I wanted to get a new cardiac doctor and glad I did. Had a stress test and my heart is healthy. The doctor wants me to really go for fitness. Biking, walking, working of strength and flexibility. Weight-loss will be a by-product of better habits.
Focus on the big picture. Our fight with heart, cancer, and diabetes is more important than a youthful or fanciful appearance. If you exercise and diet for the heart you will be doing the right things for cancer and diabetes.
Remember a fat person moving is healthier than sitting. "We were made to move," Leslie Sansone tells us In Home Walking. Doing one thing healthy will lead to another thing. Doing one thing healthy means you are doing one thing that isn't healthy. Look at what you can do and don't focus on negative stuff that may be around. We are all different so there are good ideas that are just right for us. Don't dwell on it, just do one thing at a time.
Each day is a new day. Screwed up yesterday. Hey so did I! Today we can go for a walk. Today we can eat one three quarter plate for a meal. Today we can have 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables, "5 is fine, nine divine" Dr. Cooper reminds us.
Live well and reduce regrets. Keep walking

Kid in poorer Heath time refocus,

The New York Times reported an article by Gretchen Reynolds, This is our Youth. It is a comparison study with kids 12 to 14 back in 2004 with today's youth have dropped 1% of aerobic fitness from that earlier group. Considering there at already

been a drop of youth health by 2004 this is shown a steady decline.
In the past few decades, there has been demonstrated that kids are more sedimentary. They are not gaining an hour of exercise a day. The article suggests that fitness peaks at the age of 10, and perhaps as early as two with a number of kids. Then that kid goes into so called decline. Imagine your toddler is his fit as he or she will ever be.n
Gordon Blackburn, the director of cardiac rehabilitation at the Cleveland clinic, shared "30 years ago, we would not have expected to see 12-year-olds with symptoms of cardiac disease "he said "now we have had to start a pediatric preventive cardiology clinic. "
Gretchen gave a couple possible starting points of getting activity back into life. And that's to be commended. But I believe that the sedimentary living that is happening and family life is a lot more complicated than that.
In order to see more significant change there would have to be more security for children to walk to school. Time to rethink busing? There would have to be a collective effort to bring physical fitness into gym classes and school life. And there would have to be stronger incentives for kids to interact with real life and not the growing virtual world which there part of. Moms and dads need to be primary movers in the family. Projected health numbers are in decline.
Read the article and get informed. Soccer, basketball, baseball and hockey can get some involved. Marshal arts, self defense, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting. Out door survival, running, swimming, treasure hunting. Physical fitness. At junior have clubs in these things. Photo safaris in whe wild parts of our country. Night time shy watches. Snorkeling fly marine life in ponds, rivers, lakes and ocean. Running courses in the city using the buildings design as part of the challenge. Keep walking
Got to loosen the electronics.

Have you ever taught Tom & Huck? I have a time or two.

There is been a few Tom Sawyer's and Huckleberry Finn's
pass through the halls of Joliet Central

Tonight I have a singular thought that Jesus quoted from the prophets, Matthew 9:13, "Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” when I looked up the Old Testament references mercy comes from the Hebrew word "hesed"which we get the word lovingkindness, mercy. It carries over a similar idea Greek word agape referring to God's love. We think of unconditional love, lovingkindness doing a benefit for somebody for their sake. When I contrast Mercy with sacrifice in my mind anyway I get the idea of doing something out of duty but not out of love.
What comes to my mind is Mark Twain's characters Tom and Huck. Those boys were smart, energetic and full of life. They weren't the kind of kids that you could contain in a classroom. I think they give us an idea of the real personality of who Mark Twain was as a child. Some of the people the boys ran into actually chose to care for the boys, but most are pictured as taking the boys in because of Christian duty. I can picture the harshness and the undertow of war between the teachers and the boys. There is no way that Huck will become civilized and Tom barely does because of his relationship to his aunt.
Samuel Clemens as a result of childhood experiences had a negative viewpoint about religion and religious people. Schoolwork in general he did not have a favorable view of. It is interesting to note that he married a very caring Christian and his daughters had a very loving hearts as well towards him. He felt late in life that he had let his wife down. He wore her down with his cynical attitude.
What if Tom and Huck would've ran into somebody that was willing to show them lovingkindness, mercy, a willingness to do things for the boys because they wanted to and they genuinely cared for the boys and not out of duty or sacrifice but out of love that could be firm and gentle. What if the teacher had a little fun in herself as she taught. I kind of figured that might be a lot to asked for. Whatever the boys decision would've been they would've had a sweet taste in their mouths.
Doing things from love and for the benefit of the other energizes the effort. Tom and Huck would know the difference. Learning outdoors, discovering their interests as part of the process. Who knows, a different outcome. But lost might be the great American novel and our focus on mercy. Needed much today, keep walking