We The People
USA Turns 250!
Happy 250th, USA! We’re essentially a baby country compared to many, but 250 is a lot of years to navigate becoming. It’s been messy. Mistakes were made along the way. Perhaps the founding fathers would like to have seen some things go differently. But here we are still striving, still messy, more unsettled on who we should be than we ever have been.
I could spend a lot of time talking about our more troubling characteristics, but instead this is a celebration of all the good things we are. It’s been so much fun hearing the responses of so many visitors who have come to take in the World Cup games. A lot of them are talking about all the amazing things about our good ol’ USA that most of the world had no idea existed and that we, as her citizens, take for granted. If you listen to our own mainstream media, you might feel our country is irreparably broken. But I am here to say that if you take the time to observe the world around you, there is much to be celebrated.
Photo Credit: KTLA News
Our makeup as a nation is as varied as the incredible diversity of the scenery around us. There are so many beautiful places to visit that in one lifetime it can’t be done. We can only hope to hit the highlights of the mountains, oceans, deserts, prairies, and forests. We have built incredible cities with so much to see and take in. One of my favorite pastimes is appreciating the photography of those who manage to capture the essence of all the different regions our country offers. And even though we have a lot of residents, there is still a lot of wide open space to explore.
We are made up of good people who strive to make the best of our communities and nation as a whole. My experience is that most people are kind and helpful and want to make the world a better place. I am well aware that we don’t see it in the news regularly, but I promise you it happens in big and little ways each and every day. We are fiercely independent and proud of our heritage, our stories, and how we came to be citizens of this unique place in the world. Our freedoms to choose to be what and whoever we want to be can’t be overlooked. Whatever you think of certain governmental actions from administration to administration, we still have the privilege of being free to believe and express what matters to us. That doesn’t happen in a lot of countries around the world.
While patriotism gets a bad name these days, we still have much to be proud of to be citizens of this place many of us call home. Do we still have work to do to be better? Of course. No place is perfect and sometimes I feel our elected officials make it worse than it needs to be, but there isn’t any place else I would rather live. And there are reasons why so many people want to live here, too. So maybe, in light of this special recognition of 250 years, we can individually be good neighbors, extend kindness and positivity to those around us, support instead of tear down, offer a hand of friendship to people who think differently.
Happy birthday, America! Bring on the party, the flags, the fireworks, the parades, the barbecues and start the next 250 years embracing the freedoms we so often take for granted. “The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is that every man must be free to become whatever God intends he should become.” - Ronald Reagan
Many people I have noticed ask questions of people that have been here for decades out of ignorance and out of lack of knowledge. One young lady I recently heard why would you choose to believe in a God? They would use a child as a mother. Without knowledge she will remain ignorant. We don’t understand everything that took place before Christ was born, but I know the young people of his age were smarter well-versed than we are today. Thank you for sharing your post.
Cathey what a beautiful statement thank you for sharing. I was going to write something last night but I think you covered exactly what I was thinking.