Did you know that July is the month during which one of the most famous battles of the Civil War took place - the Battle of Gettysburg? Here's a story about Gettysburg and the importance of victories, both large and small:
When he found himself near Gettysburg on business, he decided to take a day to wander the spacious acres of that memorable Civil War battlefield. It was in late June and near the anniversary of the battle (July 1-3, 1863), so caretakers hadn't yet harvested the wheat or worked in the famous Peach Orchard. He spent the entire day hiking from point to point, reading the history of the heroics of our ancestors, and musing about the inhumanity of man to man when people are fighting for a cause they believe in.
It wasn't the Union stand at Little Round Top that impressed him most, nor was it the monumental sacrifice of Confederate soldiers in Pickett's Charge. Instead, it was the row of monuments that marked where rebel units lined up prior to their charge on the third day of the battle.
Each monument contained the name of the unit and its commander. In addition on each monument, historians had listed other engagements that unit had fought. And he, as someone who thought he knew a lot about the war, didn't recognize any of the names. Names like Blooming Gap, Cheat River, Talbot's Ferry, Buckton Station, Brownsville, Poolville, and Floyd's Ford captured his attention.
Upon returning to his hotel room, he did some research. These were all small skirmishes in which the casualties rarely numbered over 10 for both sides, and in two cases, neither side even suffered a wound.
When compared to the over 5,000 Confederate casualties just from Pickett's Charge, and compared to the incredible loss of life on both sides during the Gettysburg campaign, these numbers seem meaningless. Yet for those brave, dedicated men, each of these battles was very real, very intense, and very memorable - enough that the survivors of the unit saw fit to include the locale name on the monument as a testament to honor their experience.
Many of those men memorialized on the monuments survived numerous enemy encounters before finally falling at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Upon returning home, he fixed his sprinkler system - something that's needed a fixing for a long time. It was a small skirmish won, and he celebrated accordingly.
We need to celebrate our victories more. Even if it's a small one, it's still a victory and we should be proud of our accomplishment. Take five minutes today to appreciate and take pride in one of your small victories from the past week.
Sincerely,
Pablo Gonzalez
Your Real Estate Consultant for Life
P.S. I would love to hear about one of your small, but significant victories. Please e-mail me at pabloagceja@yahoo.com or call me at 760-250-2175.
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