The Lincoln Memorial

I like that we can’t just walk right up to Abraham Lincoln. You must ‘ascend yourself’, climbing these several flights of marble staircases to meet him where he now sits immortally on high. The walk up forces you to slow down, so there's a suspense that prepares you for the big heavy moment when you face him. Making it to the top I lift my gaze, and my heart swells seeing him on that throne, as finally, now he sits at rest. He rests in a way he never could during much of his lifetime carrying the impossible weight of this country on his shoulders. You see how it all took a toll, right there on his face, sunken with seriousness. Lives lost, families torn, heartbreak the size of a nation. Yet behold, a singular guide through unknown duration and unknown outcomes of hell.

All his life he was underestimated/mocked/a permanent underdog, even advisors in his own cabinet doubted him and thought themselves superior. Then how tragically brief was his post-Civil War life, for only FIVE DAYS did he get to sit in the glory & peace of what he endured & fought to achieve. And then he was just gone.

So when you speak to him, there’s of course this stoicism in his eyes. He’s forever looking forward in his quiet confidence, a reminder for you to use your resilience as he once did. I mean, he took this country through its darkest chapter, so uh, I used to feel kinda uncomfortable coming to him with my sorrows and celebrations-- but I'm still grateful to talk to him + he’s such a great listener and always there So to do something in his honor, on my way back down I think to myself what a little CS like me can do. You literally have to turn and make the descent with a view of the Reflecting Pool, where I reflect on what small part I serve.

I’ve joked about how I can’t be late to these mentor “meetings” with Lincoln, but it’s come to feel less like workaholism / running there as a workout, and actually more like a pilgrimage and prayer. Now after maybe 15 visits starting a year and a half ago, I still feel the same full intensity. For something this sacred you always have to let it in… because when you think about it, what else are we here for than to live out the full expression of a life we received, as he once did.

PS-- I wrote this post with the help of probably my favorite gospel song, "Total Praise". It'll lift you the same way Lincoln does, a powerful ascent through song. I've started this link at the what the staircase feels like.