It's been far too long since I've posted any new content on my Abraham Lincoln Blog. In fact, one might say that it's been almost "forever" in terms of what's happened in the world since I last posted in 2014. There is no one reason why I've let the blog lay fallow for so many years. If you'll indulge me, I'll fill you in on why I've been away from here for so long.
The main reason is that the Blogger (formerly Blogspot) interface was cumbersome and tedious to use. While I've been in the IT field for more years than I care to admit (OK, 37), my HTML skills aren't the best. I've never needed to use that professionally. But the old platform required extensive use of HTML, which at times nearly drove me mad. It could take hours for me to get new content look"just right," especially the insertion of photos.
Then I heard about something called "Twitter," essentially a microblogging platform, where I could "slam out" a tweet or two about Lincoln in just a couple of minutes! I grew to become enamored with that "new" service and found myself devoting all my free time to it, instead of writing in detail about Mr. Lincoln. Where I once posted several times monthly here to my blog, that activity gradually fell to the wayside as I focused on building my followers on Twitter. As my follower total increased over the years, I was less and less likely to want to take the time and effort to post new content on my blog. In addition to the Twitter account, I also began writing a Facebook page dedicated to Lincoln, which also took time away from the blog.
I've not left the world of Abraham Lincoln. Quite the contrary, in fact. During the 150th anniversary of the Civil War from 2011-2015, I almost completely immersed myself in his world. I was busy speaking throughout Ohio and all aspects of Lincoln's life and legacy. I gave talks about his Inauguration Journey to Washington; his struggles to find competent generals; his numerous ties to the state of Ohio; how he "bent" the Constitution during the war; and unfortunately, his assassination and Funeral Train journey back to Springfield. During those years, I was interviewed by newspapers across the country as well as a few radio stations in different states. In April 2015, I attended the 150th anniversary ceremony of the assassination held at Ford's Theatre. A few days later I traveled to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus for the commemoration of his funeral held there. Then it was on to Springfield, IL for the grand re-enactment of his final funeral of May 4, 1865.
Along the way, I've made some special new friends in the Lincoln community. I've spent time with them in their homes, been on road trips to Washington and Gettysburg with some of them, and been blessed by the generosity of others who share my passion for all things Lincoln.
I've been away from writing about Lincoln for far too long, but I've returned. I'll be making some changes to this blog, including updating the name. My Twitter account (@Mr_Lincoln) is titled "Lincoln Belongs To The Ages." A former friend suggested I rename this blog from the clever title "The Abraham Lincoln Blog" to "Lincoln Belongs To The Ages" in order to have close ties between the two.
So I'm back. I look forward to once again writing in-depth about Mr. Lincoln. I hope people will return to read fresh content. Thanks!