Dan and I just finished watching (courtesy of netflix.com) the HBO special on John Adams.  Amazing performances all around by Paul Giamatti as the title character, Laura Linney as Abigail Adams, Tom Wilkinson as Ben Franklin and Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson.

The film helped me grasp, in a more visceral way than I had before, just how delicate the state of our nation was when it was born.  For those who admire politics over principle, there is plenty to like in the film's portrayal of Benjamin Franklin.  For those who prefer principles over the strum and drang of political wrangling, Adams is your man (despite my disagreement with the Alien and Sedition Act).

But for sheer strength of character, I admire the fictionalized version of Abigail Adams the most.  She brought out the best in John, called him on his stubborn nature and his pride, and loved him with passion and humor.  (Necessary in the loving of curmudgeons...just ask Dan who loves yours truly!)

At the end of the movie, there's a moment where John is walking with his son, Thomas.  He has a moment of nearly ecstatic vision wherein he says, "Abigail was always after me to appreciate the [pedestrian things] in life."  He tries to fall to his knees, exclaiming, "Praise always."  Thomas is bemused but as someone who daily counts the blessings of egrets, butterfly bushes and the monarchs they attract, thistles that some count weeds...well, words to live by indeed.

I highly recommend viewing the series if you have not!