God Bless America

     Happy Independence Day everyone!  It almost seems wrong to wish you a "happy" day when our freedom and independence have come at such a hefty price to so many.  Yet, I am proud to be an American and to share in the freedoms that are uniquely ours.
    We are a fiercely Patriotic family.  The flag blows proudly from our front porch.  Last year my husband installed all new lighting on the wrap around porch in part to ensure that Old Glory would be properly lit at all times. We have miniature flags that dot the landscape of front yard and I even have a special red, white and blue barn star that adorns my front door from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  My little one sings the National Anthem every chance he gets and they both get crazy excited about the yearly Flag T-Shirts from Old Navy (that I always buy in at least two colors- sometimes all three!).
    Yesterday we shared a meal with our neighbors, a former Navy family as patriotic we are.  As we stood on the back deck as a group, hands over our hearts and turned toward another neighbor's American Flag, we recited the pledge of allegiance in honor of those who have served our nation. 
    I suppose that onlookers might scoff at our show of pride and allegiance.  I was just proud that even at such young ages our children already appreciated the meaning behind such an important American celebration.
   Independence gives me the freedom and the right to express my feelings as a writer.  Freedom means that we can speak our minds, express disagreeance with the government without fear of retribution and pursue our dreams unhindered.  America truely is the land of opportunity.
  We are not a perfect nation by any means.  Our elected officials often make bad choices with the use of cameras and social networks, our financial institutions are not always honest and the recession has hit most of us pretty hard.  It is only in a nation such as ours however that those things act not as road blocks that keep us down but as slight detours that make us all the more determined to make it through.  No, we are not a perfect nation but this is the only nation I would ever choose to call my home.
   Last night my husbadn and I were watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  I love Ty Pennington.  I have been his fan since the days of Trading Spaces when he and Amy Wyn travelled the country heloping homeowners fix a room in a friends house.  I will admit that the only reason I began watching Extreme Makeover was to see Ty in a tool belt again.  Turns out he is an amazingly talented designer AND he has a heart of gold.  If you are not familiar with the show, they travel the country remaking homes and lives for families in need.  They have doen some amazing builds for some terribly heartwarming families. Last night's episode was filmed in Ft. Hood, Texas.  They were there to build an accessible home for staff sergeant that was severely injured during the on base shooting last year.  Ten minutes in I was in tears as I heard the story and watched the soldier that had only returned from deployment hours before he was injured get up out of his wheelchair and walk after all his doctors told him it would never happen again.
    The Makeover team created a beautiful, accessible home with all the amenities he would need to one day fully recover.  But it wasn't the home or the soldier's story or even they amazing wedding they threw for him and his fiance that has stuck with me.  It was one simple statement a commanding officer made to Ty that rings true within my head and heart.  She said, "All of our soldiers are deserving."
    A truer statement was never uttered.  They are all deserving- deserving of all the respect we can offer them.  They deserve to a handshake, a thank you, a hug, a nod of appreciation.
    A couple of weeks ago a student told me a story that brought tears to my eyes.  On prom night, one of the young men in their dinner group was an active duty marine escorting his girl friend in full dress uniform to the prom.  A complete stranger in the restaurant approached him, thanked him and paid for his meal.  A simple gesture that meant so much.
    When my father was in the Navy in the 1960's America hated the Vietnam War.  Veterans were shunned, spit at, verbally abused and more.  I am so grateful that the America I live in is not 1960's Vietnam era America.  I am proud to live in an America where a man expresses his appreciation to young soldier in the simplest of ways that just meant so very much.
   There are many among us who do not agree with the current military involvement in the middle east and that's OK.  The great thing about America is that you don't have to agree with it.  But, as a country, I truely believe that whether we support the war or not, it is our American duty to show our support every chance we get for the men and women on the front lines as well as their families back home, that fight for our right to disagree.
  God Bless America.
   Land that I love.