Home of the Free

Just a few days after Independence Day I am still reeling from all that is our annual celebration.  While everyone is able to have whatever opinion of this country that they wish, I am proud to be an American.  I know that we may not always make the *best* choices as a nation, but we always *do* something.  We stand beside each other in times of tragedy and fight each other in times of disagreement...and no one is persecuted because these are rights we have given ourselves as Americans.

My husband was telling me about an encounter he had with foreign businessman the other day...the man may have been half joking, but he said the thing he liked best about the United States was that he could say whatever he wanted when he was here.  If he voiced his opinion at home, he could be locked up. I think that is the basis of what makes America all that it is.  We can believe in whatever we please and shout it from the rooftops.  We don't all have to agree; we can voice our differences.  We can be heard as a people.

At my house, we have a rule that you don't have to like everyone in your class, but you have to be nice.  I just don't get why nations can't try a little of this idea.  I mean, there are plenty of people I don't agree with all the time, heck, some of them are my friends...but we agree that we have different opinions on certain things and focus on the other parts of our relationship.  I have learned a lot from people that have different ideas and different ways of doing things. I feel like I am a better person because of all the people around me that have different views.  What is the harm in hearing someone out?

So we celebrated all weekend long.  Telling the kids that we are so very lucky to live in this country where they can grow up to be anything they want.  They can make whatever life they chose.  They can be proud to live in the United States and proud to be Americans. Even in this time of uncertainty, we are lucky.  We have each other, a home, and friends and family that love us.  We feel safe and secure in our home.

While I know that other countries can offer amazing things (Canada with an awesome maternity leave policy and Greece with an incredible retirement age of 53), I wouldn't trade my citizenship for anything.  Heck, if I lived somewhere else, my spouse could have been chosen for me, I may have been limited to one child or  never had the option to be a surrogate. The best things in my life are the things I have chosen so freely to have. And for that, I am so very thankful to be an American.