I'm Proud to be an American

       Every Friday morning my kids jump out of bed and put on their red, white, and blue Oak Grove shirts, and then I take them to school and I get to watch herds of kids walking into school wearing their matching patriotic looking school shirts. On Friday's the school holds a "Who's Who Assembly," where they recognize the "Owls of the Week."  A few weeks into the school year Isabel was going to be presented as the "Owl of the Week" from her second grade class. Her teacher invited me to attend this weekly event and  I jumped at the opportunity  to go on campus and see one of their programs in action- since we are new to the school this year. Oh... and I was excited to see Izzy be recognized.  

         When I entered the quad area all of the students were lined up around the outdoor pavilion. The principal stood and began the ritual of leading the students in the Pledge of Allegiance   I have always gotten choked up when I hear a large group of children saying the Pledge of Allegiance- as I do when they sing the National Anthem at sporting events. (I'm a crier so sue me.) Then the student body went right into singing America the Beautiful, this brought tears to my eyes.  Those beautiful little voices singing a patriotic song was heart warming. I thought the days of hearing a song sung with the word "God" in it were over, and I couldn't have been more thrilled to be proven wrong. Then at the conclusion of the song, the principal stepped forward and said, "God bless American and God bless all of you at Oak Grove." This was where my crying was cued. As discreetly as I could I wiped away my tears and rolled my lips in tight to keep from being the weirdo mom crying in the back. 

        It was a beautiful moment. One that I am extremely grateful for.  My children are taking part weekly in remembering the greatness of our country and the freedoms they are blessed with. Living in a small conservative, religious, community has it's perks. There are not a lot of members of my religion here, but there is a large population of citizens who are religious and believe in God and the hand He has in blessing our lives, and they will not allow Him to be taken out of our every day lives, just because there are some that aren't comfortable with it. It is just as much our right to believe in God and say His name as it is for someone to not believe in or not speak His name. There may be kids who don't believe in God, and to each their own, and I am positive that if a child didn't want to sing that song or say His name, he would not have been punished. That is his right. Just like it is our right to say "God."

         A few days later I was driving my kids to school and a song called "I'm Already There," by Lonestar came on the radio. Now, here is the part where you open a new icon and go watch this video if you don't know what this song is. Even if you have go watch this and then come back and finish reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jm5gfuT9Z4

        Right after the Twin Towers were attacked they released this video as a tribute to our military. I balled my eyes out like a little baby (yes, I cry a lot.) Now, a decade later I still cry when that song comes on. I still picture a man in fatigues hugging his babies goodbye and I just cry. Okay, back to the story. I tell the kids, "Oh I love this song," and proceed to crank up the volume and sing along. I think I made it through two lines before I started crying. My kids looked at me like I was a crazy person and wanted to know why I was crying. To the best of my ability I tried to explain to them that we have so many men and women who leave their families for long periods of time to go and help people in other countries and to protect our own country.

    Then days later I was trying to find a picture of the temple that I wanted for Christmas and I came across this artwork. Isn't it fantastic?  Our founding Father's in the process of signing the Declaration of Independence. I have a deep gratitude for our founding fathers and all that they went through and sacrificed to create this amazing country and a government of checks and balances, that has given us the continued freedom we have today. I added this to my Christmas list. I want my children to have a respect and appreciation for what made the quality of their lives possible.

     Over the past year I have been reading a thirteen book series by Vince Flynn. I LOVE them. If you enjoy  a good political thriller pick these up. I promise you won't be disappointed. I will admit to being slightly in love with a fictional character Mitch Rapp- he's amazing. He is a no non-sense character who wants to get in there take out the bad guys and end the war on terrorism, my kind of guy. While reading these books I am constantly reminded of the time and sacrifice that is made by many of our political leaders to keep this nation running, keeping us safe, and free. It's a hard job and I don't think many of us could do it. I know that these aren't true stories, and unfortunately Mitch Rapp isn't real, but it opens my eyes to the horrible circumstances people in other countries have to live in. I am grateful that I can choose where I live, who I marry, who I pray to, what church I attend, how many kids I have, and what clothes to wear. I am grateful that I don't have to lay awake at night listening to gunfire, or worry that someone could come in my home and take a family member without cause. 

        

    All of these simple things have been in my daily life lately reminding me of the fact that I am proud to be an American. I would like to think of myself as a patriotic citizen. I am not an expert on all things politics, I am not a historian, and I am not part of a political organization, but I know that the United States is a great place to be. I know that I wouldn't live anywhere else. I love seeing an American Flag hanging. I love attending 4th of July celebrations. I love seeing troops coming home to their families. I love seeing all the different nationalities of people that surround me. I love hearing the words of the Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic songs. I love that when America is hit, regardless of our differences, Americans stand as one. I love my freedom. We have our faults, our government and it's people are not without flaw and that will always be the case, it's part of life, but it's still my country and I am proud to be a part of it.

      

        We have an election coming up and we have the opportunity to vote. What a simple thing that is taken so lightly. With our freedom comes a responsibility to participate in the governing of our rights. As I said before I love that we have diversity in this country, not just in nationality, but in religious views, political views, morals, even what sports team we cheer for. That's what makes life interesting.  That's how we learn. I do my best to understand and hear others differences and not judge them, belittle them, or attack their ideas. I am by no means saying I am perfect. Do I listen with a smile on my face and think, "You are insane," in my head? Absolutely! But, that's their right to think differently and I am not going to attack them for that. Who am I to tell them what works for them. I only know what would work best for me and what I need from the government. They've earned that right just as much as I have. We can't all see things the same way and that's okay there is not a specific way that is right for everyone. It kills me to see friends turning on each other over a political issue. We need to remember the big picture. It's not a sports rivalry, it's real life in motion. Let's do this with the respect we would like to receive in return. In the words of Ellen DeGeneres, "Be Kind to One Another." This is a great time to be alive and a great place to be. I am excited to vote for my candidate of choice and wear my little sticker that says, "I Voted." Because... Yup... I'm proud to be an American.

    I will get off of my platform now and ask, what are the little things that remind you that you are proud to be an American?