Happy 200th, Abraham!

Along with many of you, I have reflected today on the great life of Abraham Lincoln. Our baby Abraham was, in large part, named after this courageous leader. We want our Abe to stand for the things that Lincoln stood for: liberty, equality, and truth. We have worked, and are working, with refugees and immigrants in order to help remove the stain of intolerance that can still be seen too frequently in a country whose founders declared that "all men are created equal." We have seen a lack of cultural competency along with ignorance, racism, and fear of the "other" inflicted upon people who have come from Mexico, Somalia, and Bolivia based solely on the notion of difference. We want Abraham to continue the battle for equality, following the footsteps of Lincoln. God bless America, and leaders who gave their lives to make it what it is.

"Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
"...I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."
"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."
"While we do not propose any war upon capital, we do wish to allow the humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else."
"The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me."
And of course . . .
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

And on a lighter note, Ariel found this site, which we'll follow for our dinner tonight. The Galli's have a unique ability to celebrate using the culinary arts.