Destroying our enemies

"Do I not destroy my enemies when we make them my friends?"  - President Abraham Lincoln

I heard this wonderful quote during a radio broadcast with President Obama's spiritual advisor, Joshua Dubois. This seems to be particularly good counsel during this time of increasingly vitriolic communication, which divides the "left" from the "right".  It is hard to hate people who you come to know and love as friends.

In addition to educating and bridging political divides, friendship can also help to bring together people of differing economic strata, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Is your load too heavy?

Trailer unable to lift heavy load

Sometimes a load can be just too much for one to bear.  This was clearly the case for a neighbor who had a dumpster containing a heavy load of asphalt. He's either going to have to get a larger truck to lift this load, or to divide it up into smaller sizes.

The driver noted that in addition to the practical matter of his truck not being able to lift the load, there would also be a significant danger to others on the road with such a heavy load.  An overburdened truck like this would not be able to stop quickly if needed, and could end up ramming other vehicles, bikers or pedestrians.

Sometimes it helps to have friends to lighten our loads.  Friends take half of our sorrows and double our happiness!