What an Experience!

Well, I finally did it; I finished John Adam's biography. I was absolutely surprised how hard it was for me to stop reading it. Night after night, when I should have been getting some sleep for my students' sake at school the next day, I was reading, marking, and reviewing ideas found in that book. I enjoyed Heleman's comments about the book and John Adams. However, I recognized true Christian principles and beliefs in Adam's words, teachings, practice, and ideals. He spoke of this life meaning nothing were it not for a life beyond this and of his and Abigail one day looking down together on this earth from the battlement of heaven. He found himself in church regularly to help him keep his purposes in life in order. He taught his family the meaning of religion, and he even mentioned religion in his later letters to Thomas Jefferson. "The love of God and His creation, delight, joy, triumph, exultation in my own existence...are my religion."
Although not meant as such, what a compliment it should have been to John Adams to have it said of him when other politicans were found in wrongdoing, "That Adams was never known to be involved in such activity struck some as a sign of how naive and behind the times he was."
That the great leaders discussed in McCullough's biography had their flaws is a fact that has been mentioned by others in their blogs. Even with their flaws, they were great men; I can't help but wonder if we would be living in a democracy today had we not had these great men and their devotion and dedication to this great land.
What a wonderful experience to have been able to read and share my thoughts about this book. I would probably not have ever taken the time to read it had it not been for this class. While I felt at times that I was never going to be able to finish all that was expected for this class and still be prepared for school, I am glad now that I accepted the challenge.