On President’s Day, February 20, I attended the 149th Annual Meeting of the Washington Association of New Jersey, at the Madison Hotel in Morristown. I’ve been a member of this organization since I moved to New Jersey in 2014.

At the luncheon, I met a friendly group of Hessians who came to hear the guest speaker, Friederike Baer, talk about her new book, Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War. Out of the roughly 30,000 Hessians who came to America, approximately 5 to 6,000 settled here after the war.

How grand it was to talk to so many people who stopped by my book table to buy My Pilot during the social hour, before the luncheon commenced. What fun we had! Even George himself appeared to thank members and guests. New Jersey is home base for our country’s rich history of the Revolutionary War period, and I feel blessed to be a member of this notable organization.

Here’s some quotes from two of my favorite presidents.

Lincoln

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their mind to be.”

“Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.”

“All rising to a great place is by a winding stair.”

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing.”

“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”

Washington

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to slaughter.”

“Few men have the virtue to withstand the highest bidder.”

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”

“Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble. Truth will ultimately prevail where there are pains to bring it to light.”

Bernie and I were in Ephesus, Turkey, with Jim and Sandi, when our guide said, “Your Christ is under your feet!” We looked down and discovered a secret code, embedded in the wide, gray paving stones beneath our feet. I imagined that the apostle Paul—who preached on the steps of the amphitheater—walked around it and not over it as I did.

“It’s a pizza with eight slices,” said a boy bending down to touch it.

Our guide explained: “The capital letter I is a vertical line that means Jesus; the X means Christ; the circumference itself with a horizontal line running through it stands for Son; the Y symbolizes God, and the Greek S stands for Savior.”

Since that day, I’ve been more aware of the circles in my life. I think of a family circle of mourners,
who sit around the living room after the funeral. The members take up the slack, pulling the ring taut again.

I consider my church circle of fellowship and Bible study. When I hear Johnny Cash sing, I’m going to join that family circle at the throne,” I think of my loved ones who had preceded me to that glorious circle, and I am comforted.

I think of a round, a cycle, a compass, a halo, and a circle of friends. I think of them all, and especially the undercover Christian who carved the circle of Christ at Ephesus. I thank him for helping me see how our circle of Christianity spans many centuries, languages, and countries.