From Valley Forge to Bountiful

I got to shake the president's hand yesterday. No, it was not Barack Obama. It was our nation's very first president, George Washington - or, at least, it was a man who looked and spoke a lot like him.

(Side note of small significance: The real George Washington did not wear a wig. It is his real hair that you see in all of the portraits. Of course, it would have taken a real nerd to have pointed that out. And we all know that I'm just not capable of that kind of nerdiness. Right?)

President Washington was the surprise guest speaker at my ward's fifth-Sunday, combined elders quorum/Relief Society meeting yesterday morning. Needless to say, it was one of the most unusual meetings I have attended as part of a three-hour chuch block. But that does not mean that it wasn't interesting or educational.

He spoke on a variety of topics, including the importance of the Constitution, why the United States is a Christian nation and should remain so, and why a democracy is the least-desirable form of government. (Yes, really. John Adams, if I am remembering correctly, said that a nation is in trouble when the voice of the people chooses leaders and legislation that are contrary to the commandments of the Lord. Pres. Washington tied it in to chapter 29 of Mosiah.)

I was also very interested in the story of "the man God wouldn't let die." In a nutshell, George Washington, as a young man, fought in the British army during the French and Indian War of the 1750s. In one particularly gruesome battle, all of the British officers but Washington were killed, and he was left alone to lead the soldiers in combat. Four horses were shot out from under him, and there were also four bullet holes in his clothing - but he was not even wounded. It was clear that he was a man that God prepared to do a great work in this land.

Some other amazing facts about GW: He was dyslexic. A few months ago on this blog, I wrote about some heroes of mine who happened to be dyslexic - and now I add Washington to the list. He also led the continental army in the Revolutionary War over eight years and was not paid a dime for it. Additionally, he is still the only president to have received 100 percent of the electoral vote. And he did it twice!

By the way, Pres. Washington's real name, according to the card he handed me, is Gary V. Dolzer. He lives in Kaysville. From what I can gather, he is apparently just one of a group of actors who are available to portray a core group of the Founding Fathers at readings, seminars, and firesides across the Wasatch Front.

My only regret is that I did not ask Pres. Washington to sign a dollar bill, or at least put his initials on a quarter, for me.