The Tree

A young man was resting one day next to a tree with his feet propped up on it, the air was warm and he had free time on his hands, he had been reading a book but closed it and began resting his mind. The tree seemed like it was inviting him into a tunnel of leaves to day dream or sleep he decided to do the first. First he thought about his natural mother who loved and cared for him dearly in their old home in the south, he loved the south but he didn't like the idea of slavery, then he thought of love but he didn't linger on that too long his emotions still cried for a young woman named Ann who had died a year before, and he regretted the fact that he allowed a young woman talk him into another relationship soon after her death, that was a disaster. He began thinking about his future what would he do with the rest of his life it's 1836 and he was only 28 he had already accomplished something that many hadn't with so little education being mainly self taught. He served the legislature for a term; politics was a hard thing to do especially if you’re not educated properly. While he was thinking of this he remembered one night while giving a speech a man from the crowd was making so much noise for his opponent that he got tired of shouting above him and walked over to him and picked him up from the collar and the back of his trousers throwing him out of the meeting house and returned to the pulpit to finish the speech. He laughed at himself for that he had always been a fair wrestler and he was a hard worker but many people called him mostly lazy because of what he was doing right now, lying under a tree with his feet propped up. He didn't care for the military too much not that he didn't respect the military but he had experience with it and didn't wish to return to the ranks besides, him being six foot four he made an apt target on the battle field. So what would he do, he had been reading a book about law for some time now and he nearly had it memorized, he enjoyed law and all that came with it, that was a noble profession and he knew it to be true. "What do you think Ann, should I become a lawyer, should I be admitted to the bar"? Just then a few clouds came over head and made a very nice cool breeze, it made the leaves of the tree shudder. He had his answer and he took it as such, "Thank you Ann, I miss you but I have to move on with my life; I'll have to let you go in order to let me and my heart to be dedicated to this." Just then another small breeze blew through again and it was gone just as fast as it appeared. "Well perhaps when I am a lawyer I will go back into politics but I am not in any hurry for that, that business is harsh and hard and it could cost a man’s life, still though many people are being used as little more than cattle down there and someone should do something about it." he said out loud just talking to himself. Just then he was caught off guard by an old friend of his. "Abraham what are you doing on that ground in that good suit of yours". Abraham got off his back put his stove pipe hat on his head looked at the man talking to him and said. "John I have something I want to talk to you about, it's about your law practice, but first how is your cousin Mary".

Abraham Lincoln would become a lawyer in 1837, a husband in 1840 to Mary Todd, and our sixteenth President in 1861, a man of freedom to slaves in 1862, the great defender of freedom and Union preserver in 1864, Assassinated in 1865.