Their Final Term - The story begins

Do you know how long Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address was? Before reaching it in Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals," I would have guessed it spanned thousands of words and took up multiple pages.

I also would have been wrong.

The speech was about only four paragraphs, and in fact, was so short, that it left the crowd gathered to hear it in November 1863 speechless. Lincoln initially took the crowd's reaction to mean the speech was a failure. In fact, they loved it, but were moved at how the nation's 16th president summed up the battle and its ties to the nation's founding so succinctly.

A lot can be learned about living life from Lincoln's own life, and the short Gettysburg Address is just one example. Lincoln never spoke just to be heard. He never wilted under pressure. He was always willing to tell a story or a joke - even during the worst periods of the Civil War. Wouldn't life be better if everyone operated that way? Meetings would be shorter. More would get done. Life would be fuller. We could focus on matters that, well, matter.

Their Final Term

Last year, I began reading "Team of Rivals." While it has taken me longer to finish than I'd like to admit, it hasn't been the book's fault. In fact, reading the book and learning stories about Lincoln, his cabinet and the country during his lifetime, has inspired me to read at least one book about each past president.

Yes, even presidents like John Tyler, Millard Fillmore and Chester Arthur. Be honest: some of you can admit to not knowing they were presidents.

The mission to read at least one book about each president will take time. Some of it will be painful. Some of the reading will fly by. But my personal goal is to increase my knowledge of our commanders-in-chief, relate their days' issues to ours and share this process with all of you.

I understand that I've started this journey a bit out of order. But hey, that's life. Once I finish "Team of Rivals," I'll start with our first main man - President Washington. If you have ideas for the best Washington book, shoot me an email - chadprevich@hotmail.com - or leave a comment. So far, "The Ascent of George Washington" is the leader.