If you know
me, you know that the 4th of July is my
favorite day of the year. Each year, as the 4th draws near, I’m unable to
control my excitement and enthusiasm. Like a little child, on the night of the
3rd, I just cannot fall asleep as I’m too filled with anticipation. Recently,
someone had asked me "What is it that you love so much about the
4th?"
So, if
you will, please allow me now to try to articulate why America’s Independence
Day is downright sacred to me.
Every
blessing that I have in my life can be attributed to my being an American.
I’m
married to a man whom I love more than life its self. That is because I was not
born into a country where arranged marriage is how your spouse is determined. I
got to marry for love. I was the one who decided who my spouse would be.
Each
day, I wake up happy to go to work, at a job that I absolutely love. My husband and I work hard each day to build a nice
lives for ourselves, we can do that here because we do not live in a nation
with a cast system which would determine how far we could go in life.
I’m
continually filled with the joy that our nieces and nephew bring. That is
because we live in a place where my parents were free to have as many children
as they saw fit. They did not have a government that dictated to them how many
children they were allowed to have. When my parents had me, they were thrilled
when the doctor said to them “IT’S A GIRL!!!” . Here in America, as a female my
life is valued every bit as much as my male counterparts. I have ever right,
privilege and responsibility that they do.
Here in
America there is nothing or nobody who can hold you back, other than yourself.
If it's an education that you seek, but you do not have the funds, your Uncle
Sam will loan you the money.
Each
night when I thank God for these blessings, I’m reminded how I can do that
anywhere I want to here. I’m free to worship whichever God I choose in any way
that I choose. I do not need to try to sneak into a church and pray that I’m
not caught.
Even
when it comes to things that seem almost trivial…for instance I’m a fashion
junkie. I love clothes/shoes/makeup etc… Well, thank God I live here and not
where I’d be forced under the threat of death to wear a burqa.
I love
loading my dogs up into my Jeep and taking them for a nice long ride. There are
millions of women the world over who would be stoned in the street for
attempting to drive.
When
you are an American, not even the sky is the limit. Who else has put men on the
moon and brought them safely home again? Nobody. Now, as a nation we've
committed to going back to the moon by 2024. This time, we'll also be putting a
woman on the moon. The little girls growing up right now will get to see
firsthand that their gender will never be a determent to their hopes and
dreams.
If you love to travel, here you can see the mountains,
the ocean, the tropics, the desert and so much more without ever pulling out
your passport.
Speaking
of passports and world travel, here we are the great American melting pot. Never ever in the history of human beings, did
you have masses of people leaving to leave their respective homelands to come
somewhere. They came here. They tilled the soil, filled the factories and
helped build this land of hope and opportunity.
We are
going into an election year here in the US. I admit, it can get nasty. That is
because the candidates need to go out and EARN our vote. In other nations a
change of regime is done with fighting and bloodshed. That's not how we do it here
my friends.
I get
that we haven’t always gotten it right, we have had our black marks for sure.
Keep in mind though, that even when we have done things wrong, there have been
countless American’s fighting for what was right and they ultimately prevailed.
My personal hero, Martin Luther King Jr is the perfect example as this.
So,
come Thursday... if you happen to see me at the parade of fireworks you are
quiet likely to see me with tears of pride and joy in my eyes.
This, my friends
is why. Happy Birthday Beautiful, 243 years never looked so damn good.
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