The Dreams of Others

Recently my wife Patty and I had the opportunity to visit some of our nation's greatest monuments. It was a great trip, and we both enjoyed our time together. It was the first time for both of us to visit these monuments and we were amazed at the structures we witnessed. We visited the Mt. Rushmore monument, Old Deadwood City, and the Devil's Tower. When I first laid eyes on Mt. Rushmore the first thought that came to my mind was whom would have thought to construct such a work of art clear out here in the middle of the Black Hills. Then as I studied the faces on the monument and all that went into building this tribute from 1930-1947, I came to the realization that some of us dream small and others dream real big. To take on a project of this magnitude speaks volumes for those involved. The Monument is set at just the right angle to display shadows on the faces which give the faces depth. This occurs throughout the daylight hours. Some very careful thought went into this setup. Looking around the area at other rock formations the monument sets up with the natural lighting and exemplifies the rock carving like no other. One thing that became obvious to me sitting there studying this beautiful creation was the fact that it took nearly 17 years to complete. Now, some might think this is no big deal but let's take a look at the time frame in which this was produced. It was started during the depression era of this country. It lasted through World War II and completed in 1947. A shortage of men occurred between 1941 until the war ended in 1945. That's a period of 4-5 years, but the project continued despite financial problems and lack of manpower. To take on a project of this size within the troubled years this country was facing is nothing short of a miracle.

Now, that brings me to the spiritual side of this writing. How is it that a man may dream his dream, pick his passion, and succeed when all the odds are against him? Take a hard look the next time you're at this monument and try to visualize in your mind the hours upon hours of toil and sweat that went into this dream and you'll come away with the same thoughts I had. It was nothing short of a miracle to accomplish this back in the days without modern equipment and powers of finance. I believe God put his gentle hand on this work. He blessed his children with work and benefits during a rough time to have lived in this country. He did it all so that generations to come would benefit from this wonderful place. The day we were there, the parking lot was packed with license plates from all over this nation. Each of us was there to contribute to the welfare and continued success of this national monument. We paid a small fee for the upkeep and maintenance and this was gladly given for the right to be an American standing in freedom and awe of such a wonderful achievement. My thanks here goes out to all who contributed their time and efforts to this beautiful creation and continue to do so to this very day.

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