The First Lady of America

Long before there was ever an official title called “First Lady,” Martha Dandrige was born in colonial Virginia on June 2, 1731.  She grew up and married Daniel Parke Custis, and together, they had four children.  She was widowed very young and eventually married a rising military officer and landowner name George Washington in 1759.
 
As George Washington became the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, Martha often traveled to difficult winter military encampments to support both her husband and the troops.  She helped organize supplies, encouraged soldiers, hosted gatherings for officers’ wives and became known for bringing strength and stability during some of the darkest days of the war.  
 
Years later, during George’s first presidency in 1789, Martha reluctantly stepped into a national spotlight unlike anything the country had ever seen.  Although she disliked public attention, she understood the importance of dignity, hospitality and representing the young nation well.  
 
Martha wrote to a friend, “I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be; For I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions and not upon our circumstances.”  
 
Interestingly, Paul the Apostle, expressed a similar thought in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content…..”

Both Paul and Martha Washington, remind us that peace, joy, and steadiness are not found in perfect circumstances, but in the condition and attitude of the heart and mind.  

History is often shaped by faithful, steady people standing in faith through sacrifice, uncertainty and change.