I Love America....

                                                  

My thoughts have been on America ever since the fourth of July. I remember getting dressed on the morning of the 4th and thought, "Humm, maybe I will wear red, white and blue, just to make today seem more like a holiday". So that was about all that we did. Jim wore a blue tie. So it came and went without celebration or really much notice other than what we wore. We did have an interesting meeting as we walked the downtown area in Banja Luka. We were walking to the park with a couple of the Tadic children and one of them said, "Hey, those people are speaking English". A little surprised, I stopped and said " You're speaking English, where are you from?" They were from TEXAS! We chatted for a few minutes and wished each other a happy 4th and then went on our way!


No fireworks, no wonderful family dinner, no homemade ice-cream or root beer made with dry ice. It was pretty much like any other day for us. It wasn't until a couple of days later that I happened to get on face book to do a little lurking and saw this video. It's a flash mob dance at Weber High School in North Ogden, Utah. They did it while people were waiting for the fireworks to start. My daughter in-law Tiffany, grandson Regan, and granddaughter Emma were in it. I had to make it go full screen before I could make out the kids. It was really pretty fun to watch, but I wasn't prepared for the emotions that left me in a complete puddle at the end. We were on our way to an important meeting, and there I sat sobbing and messing up all my make-up! Jim had to wonder what happened to his otherwise semi-sane wife!

It was all good though because the experience left me really thinking a lot about America and what I miss most about our country while serving a mission so far away from home. These are just a few of my thoughts.

I love America for its religious freedom. What an amazing blessing it is to have that in our lives. Yes, it's not perfect, prejudice rears its ugly head at times, but without that freedom we wouldn't have had the gospel restored. We are not under religious bondage.

I love America for its political system, however imperfect it is. We have a voice. We can vote.

I love America for freedom of the press. I love to watch the news here on the internet and have a whole new appreciation for those who bring us the news.

I love America that has created a culture that opens the world to us, our world is so diverse. We walk down the streets and see a diverse people. We move, from one part of our huge country to another. We make friends and love people in our large world.

I love those Americans who sacrifice their time, their lives, and their loved ones so we can sit on a lawn at a high school and watch fireworks and feel safe and secure knowing that we are a free people. A few years ago I had the priveledge of seeing one of my sons graduate from Basic training for the Air Force Reserves. I remember going to that base and seeing all that went into the making of an Airman and thinking. This is bigger than I ever could have imagined! It is in so many differerent ways!

I love America for its educational structure that gives our children and grandchildren infinite choices.

I love America for so many small, silly reasons, too numerous to list.
But mostly I love American because it's home. It's were my heart is. Its where my family is and it's more dear to me I think than it was a year ago when I left its shores. I will never take for granted what a great nation it is, for all its imperfections, flaws and all, It is after all, "the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
I will forever be grateful for this great country that I have the privilege to call "HOME".

I have added a blog link to the right of this blog. It's about a young man, Seth Pack who is from Ogden, fighting for his life at Walter Reed Hospital, a life that will forever be altered by war and injuries. This young man who exemplifies so many others that have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. I invite you to join us in remembering  him in our prayers. Thank-you Seth and your family for your service, your sacrifice and for believing in and loving America. Someday I hope to meet you and give you my personal thanks.

No blog next week. We will be in Germany taking our Tadic teenagers to E.F.Y. Europe.