I will avoid being political, but I will not avoid being patriotic. These past few years have been particularly difficult. My husband lost his job of over twenty-two years in January, and the job market is anything but kind to someone that is but a few years from retirement. Our country is suffering from high unemployment, and natural disasters All these things are tragic and hard, but what is hardest is to imagine is making anything worse than what it has to be to make a political statement.
I am missing the America I know! To me it is still the land of the free and the home of the brave. Here in Vermont we have survived the flood of our century, and elsewhere others are surviving fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornados along with a severe recession and being unemployed or under-employed! But we need to remember that those that have gone before us did the same or worse:World Wars, The Great Depression, as well as a horrendous Civil War! So buck up America! We remain a great country, and are great people, and we need to face the challenges of today and show all that we are: proud, independent, dedicated, hard-working people that are there to care and correct the ills of our country. We also need to reach out to others in need and not rely on an impersonal government to take care of us. We, the people are in charge of our country, and the leaders we choose are there to serve our country and not themselves!
As we fight for what we believe in, let us become bigger, not smaller; exchange fear with courage and be brave about facing the challenges ahead of us. We need to not be divided, but united as we embrace what needs to be fixed. May we all open ourselves to becoming informed, and responsive to the needs of our neighbors and country and each of us be responsible in solving the issues of our day.
Years ago, when I was a child, I learned that being an American ends with "I can"....and when we all do our part, America will continue to be the home of the free and the brave!
