else. How could he consistently communicate his passionate
beliefs? He knew that a smile could change his body chemistry.
His personifying his hopeful vision was not just a matter of words
but of embracing it personally—whatever his feelings at the
moment—then communicating it.
The extreme example of this was when he was shot, just sev-
enty days after his inauguration. At the hospital entrance, despite
the bullet lodged near his heart, he waved off Secret Service
agents and slowly climbed out of the car. He stood and buttoned
his jacket, then walked in. Only after getting inside, after collaps-
ing on one knee, did he allow agents to help. And during the
medical procedures, he famously quipped one-liners: “Honey, I
forgot to duck,” and to the surgeon about to operate, “I hope
you’re a Republican.”
James M. Strock writes of Reagan, “One looks in vain for pho-
tographs that show him without full control over his physical pres-
ence.... The head erect and the shoulders thrown back; the
purposeful stride; the jaunty wave; the empathetic listening to
another’s need; the respectful, confident, vigorous military salute....
The nod and the wink and the wave—these all became part of Rea-
gan’s ongoing communication with the American people.”
Is all of this genuine? Of course. The optimistic, thoughtful
leader is well aware of the brutal realities, the questions, the what-
ifs. The leader may feel jangled nerves or malaise but choosesthe
way of faith and hope, knowing he must communicate that to
others.
Billy Graham endured attacks, rough-and-tumble opposition,
lots of reversals, as seen elsewhere in this book. Did this make
him despondent?
At times, yes, but Billy’s associates also speak of his “undiluted
enthusiasm” and his “constant air of expectancy.” He has always
been eager to learn and to move on to the next challenge. At the
same time, Billy carried his heavy responsibilities with extreme
seriousness.
His colleague John Akers admits, “Yes, he could be pessimistic;
probably it’s simply his nature.” He explained it like this: “A way
Communicating Optimism and Hope