(The death of his child) "was the first experience....

“ (The death of his child) "was the first experience of his life, so far as we know, which drove him to look outside of his own mind and heart for help to endure a personal grief. It was the first time in his life when he had not been sufficient for his own experience. ”

Elton Trueblood

From : Abraham Lincoln: Lessons in Spiritual Leadership