STEEL AND VELVET IN LIFE

Papercraft cars, phones, devices and house - A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.

An unusual tribute was paid to Abraham Lincoln by Carl Sandburg. The
poet wrote, "Not often in the story of mankind does a man arrive on
earth who is both steel and velvet, who is as hard as rock and soft
as drifting fog, who holds in his heart and mind the paradox of
terrible storm and peace unspeakable and perfect."

Lincoln demonstrated then and now how a person can possess both a
will of iron and a heart of tenderness. Nothing deterred the
president during the American Civil War from his "noble" cause, and
few persons have ever endured more criticism and detractors than
Lincoln. Yet he was no more a man of steel than one of velvet.

When General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army, contrary to the
advice of some of his generals, Lincoln sent an unexpected message
to the enemy commander. "Tell your men they may keep their horses;
they'll need them for plowing," said the president. Then this: "Tell
your men they may keep their rifles; they'll need them for hunting."
When Lee read those words he wept.

For each of us there is a time for toughness and a time for
tenderness. A time for resolve and a time for compassion. An iron
will is not the same as an iron spirit. Another courageous American,
Martin Luther King, Jr. some hundred years later encouraged us to
exhibit tough minds and soft hearts... not the other way around.

I know that mental toughness, particularly an iron resolve and
determination, will often be needed if I am to get where I want to
go. But I also know that a soft heart - compassion and love - will
make the journey worth it.

From Lifesupport

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