Let’s walk forward bravely
To say I am a patriotic person would probably be an understatement. The American Republic, the American Dream, ideals enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence burn within me.
While its inappropriate for a man to say, I tear up when I hear certain combinations of words that reflect these things. There is music and movies which evoke an emotional response within my soul.
At the bedrock of these feelings is the faith which my family instilled in my life and the blessings that Jesus Christ saved me so I might live a joyful life in Him no matter what I might endure on earth until eternity comes.
Over the last few years, I have seen people like me considered as being out of fashion because a group of revisionists, academics and politicians wish to make America something other than the shining city on the hill.
Well, we just saw a return to an advocacy for being proud to be American. The bullies who would say our ancestors were not exceptional in the legacies they passed to us will now no longer own the sole soapbox of modern viewpoint. Their stories, their successes, their goodness will once again not be erased by the shortcomings that so many wish to point towards.
We gave the blood of hundreds of thousands of men and women to end slavery in our country while it remains alive and well in countries across the world to this day. That is not to say, that there are not those in our country today who are not enslaved within our borders. My prayer is the current administration will free those women, children and men, wherever they are and whomever may be responsible to receive punishment for their actions.
We gave the long-termed toil, suffering and blood of men and women to uplift and enforce the civil rights of people of color, and women.
I can look back upon my family and proudly point to those who participated in these efforts.
I know of at least 19 of my grandfathers who fought to provide this American experiment to exist giving a new level of hope to serfs and slaves around the world.
The future of America has many possibilities. I want to see it last well beyond another 250 years. My people deserve that for their sacrifices.
So, for me watching the inauguration of a president is a moving experience, as it should be. Several of the men who have stood in that spot carry the same blood in their veins that I do as we share ancestral grandparents. Despite that being the case, even if there was no connection, I would still be moved by all that surrounds it.
I pray for our country. I feel there is a great sense of unity which is moving across our land. We see that those that want to divide us by age, education, wealth, color, religion, or other factors, are losing their grip upon our attention. The future of America is in our strength together. It’s America and Americans that should come before any other country or nationality. Before a dime is spent for anything, it should be asked, “How does it help America and Americans?” If it does not, it shouldn’t be spent or sent to anywhere in the world.
Our focus needs to be inward – our country needs to strengthen our infrastructure of all types to last for decades to come. We need to make choices that improve our country and bring it back to success economically. When I was a boy, I watched helplessly as our politicians sold our small towns and true Americans out, as plants across the country closed and jobs went elsewhere. We need to see that reversed enormously. Our focus should extend throughout our hemisphere, much as my ancestral cousin created the Monroe Doctrine, we should once again see our focus in this hemisphere rather than in the fields and deserts of Europe, and the Middle East.
I pray for our leaders as we all should. Their success is our success. Besides a praying America may be better blessed than a country that turns its back upon God. God Bless America, our leaders, our people, our future. Let’s walk forward bravely!