WEBVTT

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(peaceful music)

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- Hi everyone, this is Chaplain Burson,

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and today's thought is about hard work.

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This week is the anniversary
of the historic victory

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of Harry Truman over Thomas
Dewey for the U. S. presidency.

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Truman was a bit of a
late starter in life.

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He didn't get married until he was 36,

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and he didn't enter politics
until he was in his 40's.

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And almost every business
that he ever tried failed.

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Truman wasn't the most ideal
political candidate either,

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since he wasn't known for
his public speaking skills

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like Franklin Roosevelt was.

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But despite what he
lacked, a strong work ethic

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and taking personal responsibility
were his trademarks.

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After finishing the
unprecedented fourth term

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of the enormously popular
Franklin Roosevelt

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when he died in 1945, Truman
faced an uphill battle

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to be re-elected in 1948.

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Three weeks before the election,

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Newsweek polled 50 writers
for their prediction

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of who would win the presidency.

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All 50 writers picked Thomas Dewey to win.

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And every public poll
had Dewey firmly ahead.

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Dewey's campaign felt that
all he had to do to win

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was not make any significant mistakes.

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So his campaign became cautious and vague.

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On the other hand, Truman
went on a cross-country

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tour giving speeches and
visiting as many people

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as he possibly could to spread his ideas

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for a better nation.

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Rather than being
disheartened by the odds,

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Truman put in the hard
work to campaign right up

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until the last minute.

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When he went to bed the
night of the election

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the results were still too close to call

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but the Chicago Daily Tribune
stuck with its prediction

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that Dewey would win,
printing the next day's paper

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with the headline Dewey defeats Truman.

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To the surprise of many, Truman
won in what is considered

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one of the greatest
political upsets in history.

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And this provided one of
the most famous photographs

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of President Truman as he
held up the Chicago Tribune's

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paper which had falsely
predicted his loss.

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Although Truman came
from humble beginnings

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and never achieved much
success for most of his life,

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he was preparing for that
election since he was young.

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His difficult life taught
him that nothing in life

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would be handed to him.

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If you wanted something you'd
have to work hard for it.

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So when the odds are against
us and it looks like there's

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absolutely no way that we can win,

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I hope that we can remember
the lesson of Harry Truman,

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that we can either accept defeat

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or put in the hard work towards changing

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whatever we can control.

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Blessings this week.

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(peaceful music)