Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor

July 5, 2011
Dear Sammy,
I understand that you went to the Plymouth Fourth of July parade yesterday. Hooray! John Adams, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence said he hoped that Independence Day would always be celebrated with parades and family picnics.
When you study the Declaration, I hope you will pay attention to every word because they were each chosen for a specific reason. My favorites are the last two “… we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”
Sacred honor! Sacred means “of the holy” and “honor” means being someone whose name belongs to a person of virtue. When Mommy and Daddy say “Think about your choices,” they’re helping you decide to become person of honor. And when you do things like trying to stop the dog from driving over for the little bird in the book “Go, Dog, Go”, you show them that virtues already live in your heart.
When I was a teenager your Great-Grandfather would say “Behave yourself. Remember you carry my name.” And if any one of his children doubted what that meant, he’d say “Nobles Oblige -To whom much is given, much is expected.” And he gave a lot! He coached football and little league because he believed competition leads to virtue and served on the school committee because he believed everyone had a right to a good education. He never thought he’d done enough, until one day, when he was very old, your mother said “Grampy, you look like Abraham Lincoln” (another honorable man) and he smiled, said “That’s a good thought,” turned his head and fell asleep.
Love,
Marmee