Earlier today I wrote a letter to my stepbrother John regarding my father's failing health. At first it was hard for me to believe the news. John has mislead and asked so much of me lately, that it is hard to know when he is being truthful. However, I received word from Harriet Chapman confirming the news, and realized that I was somewhat obligated to respond. I love my father and do not desire that he should be in want of any comfort, but to me he represents everything that I have left behind...my old way of life. I did my best to be comforting, or at least wrote to the best of my ability how I thought
he would be comforted. He is a religious man, with Baptist roots, and so I drew from that garden, words of love and encouragement for him, although I'm not sure
I believe all of them. I suppose the right thing would have been to say the words to him myself, by his bedside, but surely that would have been more painful than pleasant. I let him know that this would be the case. Besides, my business is such that I could hardly leave home now, and I need to move on.
A. Lincoln
This entry is based off of a letter Abraham Lincoln wrote to John Johnston on January 12, 1851. Additional information and interpretation come from secondary sources by Alan C. Guelzo, Michael Burlingame, and David H. Donald. Selections from their works and further reading can be found at the Lincoln's Writing website (http://housedivided.dickinson.edu/sites/lincoln/letter-to-john-johnston-january-13-1851/)
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