Decisiveness on the Delaware...by Gina Waite

Recently, I took an iPersonic personality test and was shocked by the result.  If you haven't taken this test yet, I've linked it for you in this Nutshell.  It's about five-eight minutes of scrutinizing your true feelings of time, commitment and people...it's kind of fun...you should take it!  As I finished the test, "Dreamy Idealist" popped up as my personality test result.  Immediately loved the idea of being an Idealist, but after reading the description of my newly identified personality, I felt that I needed to take the test again.  "Dreamy Idealists," the result said,  tend to be cautious, shy and reserved.  I truly couldn't get past those words before retaking the test a second time.  To my surprise, once again the test result determined a "dreamy idealist" living inside my body!  At that point, I decided to accept my fate and read more about the stuff I was made of!  Much to my delight, I truly identified with a lot of the values I hold most dear!

One of those values I care about most is profound discussion.  I love listening and discussing topics of depth but don't often respond quickly (I like to think and weigh-out options for responses in my mind.) I'm sure this is aggravating to those who love me most as sometimes I sense their urgency for me to process the question, make a decision, and recount  my answer as quickly (remember I'm a word lover) as I can for their sake!  Decisiveness is not my strong point, but as a Mother, it's a skill I have acquired! 

I truly admire people who can "think on their feet!"  The ability to make quick decisions that are, even in the end, the BEST decisions that could have been made.  Decisions that may weigh the balance of a country's freedom and liberty at the cost of  human lives!  Now, I know I couldn't make decisions like that but ... George Washington could! George Washington was an amazing man known for his ability to make great decisions under extreme pressure!  His very stature elicited the status of natural born leader.  He was referred to as "His Excellency" by the soldiers who revered him because he was a true leader, one that would roll-up his sleeves and dig in with the rest of them!

This picture is an iconic reminder of the decisive man and leader that Washington was.  In this setting, he rallied the troops who were exhausted, demoralized and uncertain of their future and made haste to attack the Hessian-held town of Trenton, New Jersey...just across the Delaware.  Washington made the quick decision to attack on the morning of December 26th, a most decisive and deliberate attempt to overthrow the drunken, Holiday-Happy Hessians!  Washington claimed victory over Trenton and at very little loss of life for the American Continental Army.  That was an AMAZINGLY successful decision to attack considering most of the Continental Army's enlistments would be released for home on January 1st!

Due to the respect the majority of the men had for General Washington, most of the enlistments decidedly reenlisted for another round of service.  As much as I would like to have been there to see them, those tattered and frostbitten men reenlisting for yet another round of service, I would like to quote from one, Elisha Bostwick, who served under General Washington on the Delaware:

"there on the first of January 1777, our years service expired, and then by the pressing solicitation of his Excellency a part of those whose time was out, consented to stay six weeks longer...and although desirous as others to return home, I engaged to stay that time and made every exertion in my power to make as many of the soldiers stay with me, and for his Excellency, as I could...and quite a number did engage with me!"

A difficult decision for those men to stay a little longer BUT I think I know why they stayed and served just one more time...the incredible experience of bravery and comradery while observing decisiveness on the Delaware!  Thank you for your service and a Happy Belated Birthday, General Washington!