Yesterday was Independence Day. I enjoyed reflecting on why being an American means so much to me. I have heard we can only be understood by knowing our particular place and this country is mine. Our nation, like all nations, is imperfect, and I am still proud to be an American and am grateful I was born and can continue to live here. Everything in the essence of my being identifies with being an American.
What do I identify with the United States of America? The white caps at the heights of the Colorado Rockies and the white sands at the Florida Panhandle beaches. Native bison that roam the tallgrass prairies and bald eagles that sweep down from the bright blue skies. Sunflowers, tall oak trees, and wind-swept golden wheat fields. Rocky beaches, sandy beaches, desert sand dunes, dense rain forests.
Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in K-12 school each morning and singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before each baseball game. The poetry of Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes. The prose of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Toni Morrison, Harper Lee. Hamilton, both the musical and the Founding Father. The taste of freshly grilled hamburgers, store-bought potato salad, and homemade apple pie.
The way we have made mistakes in our history but collectively move forward as a nation. The mosaic of diverse cultures and races and regional backgrounds. The ability of our country to work toward improving our faults. The decency, energy, optimism, and work ethic that defines Americans.
Happy 4th of July to the land that I love.
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