Lessons From Ronald Reagan

Some years back, I read a 2004 "Time" magazine commemorative issue of Ronald Reagan. In one article, the writer described him as a man of clear conviction who was capable of compromise where necessary and growth where possible.

But the article that touched me most was the one his wife Nancy wrote. She described him as a man of strong principles and integrity, comfortable in his own skin and therefore in no need to prove anything to anyone.

She also described him as a tender, romantic and sentimental man who loved seeing and meeting people and wrote her beautiful touching letters when they had to be apart.

Once when he was taking a walk, he passed a house with roses in front. He bent over to pick one, and the Secret Service agent reminded him it wasn't his house. Looking stricken, he said, "But I want to give it to my lady." He picked it and took it to her.

Nancy further described Reagan as humorous and stubborn but in a kind way. He always told his children, "If you go into a store and feel that the clerk is being rude, stop and think that she may have had a tough day, and put yourself in her shoes."

Perhaps most important to note, Nancy said Reagan had strong, unshakable religious beliefs. He believed that God has a purpose for each of us and that we might not know what it is now, but eventually we will. Nancy thought his faith accounted for his optimism.

Because of his optimism, Reagan never saw things darkly. He felt that everything happens for a reason. In 1981 when he was admitted to hospital after surviving an assassination attempt, he told a friend of his that he had made up his mind that all the days he had left belonged to God.

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