This nation and the world paused Friday morning to remember anindividual who left this world better than he found it. RonaldWilson Reagan’s journey to the lighted city on a hill ended as thesun set over the Pacific Ocean.

What a journey it was — a journey that brought unprecedentedprosperity, unprecedented personal freedom and unprecedented worldpeace. It was not without bumps and controversy, but in the end weall can agree with the famous quip he delivered during his firstcampaign, “Are you better off today than you were four yearsago?”

As a nation and a world we are, indeed, better because ofhim.

The most telling moment of the past week of ceremony andnational mourning came Thursday afternoon from Mikhail Gorbachev.Visiting his past military foe for the final time, the formerpresident of the former Soviet Union reached out to touch thecasket containing the man who became his friend. It was a touchingscene and summarized in a single moment the effect Ronald Reaganhad on the entire world.

We can only wonder, if Alzheimer’s had not taken him away fromus these past 10 years, what his thoughts might be on the worldtoday.

It’s a world much different than the one in which he held centerstage in the 1980s. We can only wonder how he would have used thatboyish grin, that tilt of his head and a chuckle to help diffusethe tensions the world feels today.

His humor and optimism helped a nation regain itsself-confidence in 1981 when he took the oath of office as our 40thpresident. It was his quick wit, grandfatherly wisdom and spine ofsteel that shaped the mood of a nation and the world.

Yes, he had his detractors, and he was far from a perfect leaderin the minds of some. But in the minds of many, he brought warmthand courage and a desire to dig deeper to better one’s self.

I was touched by one news account that documented the changingworld Ronald Reagan’s life passed through from 1911 to 2004.

It is hard for us to conceive, in today’s technological timewhere the Internet pulls the world together in nanoseconds, thatthe telephone was in its infancy when Reagan was young.

His life saw world changes from the rise of Lenin to the fall ofthe Soviet Union. His life spanned two world wars, Korea, Vietnam,the Cold War, and now the worldwide war on terrorism.

Henry Ford’s revolutionary assembly line, which changed theworld’s economy, had not been conceived when Ronald Reagan wasborn. During Reagan’s time, he saw Charles Lindberg cross theAtlantic and men land on the moon.

The world around us is changing at an ever-increasing anddizzying pace, bringing uncertainties and confusion.

Ronald Reagan’s greatest gift was his ability to bring comfortto a nation and a world during a time of great technological andpolitical change. He helped us all feel better about ourselves, toreach higher and ask for more.

He leaves a void that, while sad, gives us hope and inspirationto reach for that bright city sitting on a hill.

Write to Bill Jacobs at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, Miss.39602, or send e-mail to bjacobs@dailyleader.com.