Father of America

This is the day to celebrate America's founding in 1776 and - for me - to be thankful for George Washington who was called, in his own time and to this day, the "Father of his Country."

Back in February/March of this year, I read Washington:  A Life, by Ron Chernow.  It was a bit daunting to start a biography of over 800 pages; but, as it turned out, I could hardly put it down.

Since he kept just about every paper of his life - letters, purchases, diaries, plans, documents - not to mention the thousands of first-person memories of people who knew him, there is an immense body of data for historians to investigate.  You could say that his life was - cliche alert - an open book.

While not a perfect man, his life won the hearts of Americans who watched him because he put the interests of America before his own.  Read the book.