The Lumineers and Thomas Jefferson
The Lumineers and Thomas Jefferson have nothing in common of which I am aware, except that in December, 2012, the Lumineers were the opening act for Dave Matthews at a venue in Charlottesville, Virginia... the location of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Jamie and I had been trying to catch a show by the Lumineers for about one year, and the closest venue we could find was Virginia. There is no way I could go to Charlottesville without paying homage to our second President of the United States, author of the Declaration of Independence, foolishly romantic, visionary and philosopher Thomas Jefferson. We zipped down to Virginia for the weekend in a whirlwind of concert-going, Christmas shopping and American history.
Did you ever go on a guided tour to an historic sight and there is that person who answers every question and knows all of the esoteric little facts about the place you're touring, essentially carrying on her own conversation with the tour guide? That was me on this tour. I know I was annoying, but I could not help myself. The tour guide was an eloquent and educated man who exuded great passion for and knowledge about Thomas Jefferson-- and I LOVE Thomas Jefferson, the flawed and wonderfully sentimental man that he was. Monticello was wonderful, and I could have spent two days there, instead of a few hours.
The tour guide (and I) got choked up with tears as he described Jefferson's wife's deathbed scene and how she and Thomas wrote lines from the novel Tristram Shandy. Jefferson kept the paper upon which they wrote by his side until his own death over 37 years later.
It is well known that Jefferson grieved the loss of Patty terribly, and never married again which is something he promised his wife he would never do. Jefferson was someone who did not like to be without female companionship, however, so he got around this little detail by hooking up with his deceased wife's half-sister, Sally Hemmings. Sally was the daughter of Patty's father and a slave woman. Conveniently, she was Jefferson's slave woman. Though Jefferson always had Sally at his side when he traveled, and she lived with him, he was careful to deny that she was anything more to him than his servant. It's a shame.
Of all of Thomas Jefferson's loves, though, the relationship which I always found the most tragic was his relationship with Maria Cosway. Maria and Jefferson were intellectual equals, and they shared many passions, including a passion for each other. They spent a significant amount of time together when he was a diplomat to France. Jefferson loved her deeply, but she was married. Maria Cosway inspired one of Jefferson's most revealing and intimate writings-- A Dialogue Between the Head and the Heart-- a love letter he sent to Maria where he reveals his internal struggle over the reality of their lives vs. the romantic feelings he has for her.
He wrote to her of his heartache, "I feel more fit for death than life. But when I look back on the pleasures of which it is a consequence, I am conscious they were worth the price I am paying." They continued writing to each other until his death.
Besides Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson is my favorite Founding Father. Jefferson was known to be easy going, open and direct. A great scholar who was diligent and meticulous in his work. A wise and highly intelligent man, some say a genius. The "Sage of Monticello" and the "Father of the Declaration of Independence". Thomas Jefferson preferred his own company to others, a sensitive introvert who appeared reserved to people he did not know. Perfect.
