How do you spend your day on President’s day?

As you read this column, it is February , a month full of special days , not the least of which is Presidents Day, which is only overshadowed in the Milby household by my wife’s birthday!

Do you remember Presidents Day as a kid? I sure do, only it wasn’t called Presidents Day back then, at least where I grew up; it was called Washington’s birthday. I particularly remember one year, I think it was in second grade, when Mrs. Braun had us make silhouettes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln out of black construction paper and paste them onto red construction paper. How’s that for long term memory (about 67 year’s worth)! If we only knew then how wonderful those years were…..maybe we would have caused less trouble, eh?

With tomorrow being the first day of February, I’m celebrating this last day of January for another reason which has made me more aware of General & President Washington this year. I’ll explain.

After 5-1/2 years we’re finally saying “Goodbye” to our storage unit in town. Having taken three successive downsizing moves as well as absorbing a whole condo’s worth of furniture and life’s collections from my late mother in law, we had no choice but to rent a storage unit until we could sort it all out. I don’t know how many floor to ceiling boxes that unit held but in the beginning it made my head spin to think about it. As of today, the last box is gone and Mr. Turton is free to rent it to another tenant!

So how does the storage unit relate to Presidents’ Day? On the way out the door of the unit a couple weeks ago, I grabbed a book by Glenn Beck entitled “Being George Washington”, an unusual title to say the least. The book reviewed the incredible life of this unmatched man in our nation’s history from the early French and Indian war where he served as Colonel of the Virginia Regiment, to the Revolutionary War where he served as Commander in Chief , to the Continental Congress , to being our first President (instead of King as many wanted him to be) and back to private life at Mt. Vernon.

I have been richly rewarded the last couple weeks as I relaxed in front of the fireplace humbly relearning lessons about this great man’s humility, wisdom, bravery sacrifice and leadership. The documented stories authenticating these character qualities in our first President merit our recognizing him with a national holiday. My only hope is that while our grandkids get a day off from school they understand why, and honor the man and the nation he help to found.

If you’re looking for a different way to celebrate Presidents Day this year, why not drop by one of our wonderful libraries and check out a book on Washington. I guarantee you’ll be humbled and inspired at what this great man sacrificed and accomplished to help birth our nation. I sure have been. By the way, the price for all this is perfect for seniors on a fixed income too….. it’s free!

Have a wonderful Presidents’ Day!

Thanks for reading All About Seniors…..See you next week!

Bill Milby, CSA, is a Certified Senior Advisor and a Director of Visiting Angels® of Macon, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA/