history come to life

Since we had plenty of time on our hands with all the snow, we watched the John Adams mini-series over the weekend. Two thumbs way up! It was extremely well-done and well-acted, and I learned so much about the founding and early years of our nation that I wouldn't have known otherwise: the day-to-day sacrifices many made over numerous years & in different ways, the relationships held by a number of the founders, and the challenges faced by a young nation. In many ways, it is truly amazing that we made it!

The mini-series is based on the book of the same name, written by David McCullough. I was talking about the book/movie with a friend, who later sent me a quote from the book - a portion of a letter written by Abigail Adams to their oldest son, John Quincy. Not only does this quote give a perfect taste of the caliber of this family who gave so much to make the United States a reality - but it also speaks to our own situations all these years later:

"These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which otherwise would lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman."