We have been given a great gift. Freedom. A free nation. We are a beacon of hope and limitless opportunity to many throughout the world.
So many times we forget what we are and where we came from. We forget that our grandparents and great grandparents survived horrible things. Some of today's issues are but a shadow of what happened in their lives so many years ago. We forget the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary war. We forget that our forefathers were separating church and state, not personal faith, character, ethics or morals from their jobs in office. They were providing a foundation for us to have freedom of worship and freedom of speech. We tend to forget that they built this nation with their tears, sweat and blood.
Sometimes its almost too easy to forget, as we sit in our heated (hey, it's getting cold here in Michigan now) living rooms that so many have paid a great price for all the freedoms we have and enjoy. It's easy to shout how wrong they were, and are (a freedom of speech many, including our ancestors fought and bled for us to have,) to keep the wolves at bay that would claim our freedoms and try to take them away.
The somehow ironic thing of all this, is that those who defend and defended our freedom, would do it all over again, to give us that chance, that opportunity to live a better life of freedom and hope. No, I don't know all that my parents, grandparents and great grandparents worked for and gave up, so I would have opportunity. However, I do know that I would do the same for my children.
The coolest thing about that, is the grace of it. They have given me opportunity, that is so limitless, so boundless, if I had all the money in the world it would not be enough to cover the gift of freedom and opportunity, that came from their years of hard work, struggles and life. They've given me an opportunity for strength and courage.
Our ancestors gave that to all of us and to those who have come here seeking those very same freedoms. The freedom to own a business, whether you are a man or woman. The freedom to choose a husband or wife. The freedom to have an education without having to be in favor of a certain ruling system or be at a certain societal level or certain caste level.
We have been given great gifts and a great foundation of hidden strength in this nation. We may never be able to earn that grace that was given to us, but we can live our lives in honor and gratitude of it. We can hold on to that hope and strength of a future that has strong foundations and we can let the world know that it is in us and for us and that the light of it still burns bright.
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