Happy Birthday~ To This Land That I Love

Today this land that I so love turns 235 years old. She doesn't look as young as she once did. She has some wear and tear. But I think she still looks beautiful and is the most amazing country of all. I am thankful that she in mine and I love her! God has been so good to us.

Not long ago My Brian and I took a trip to Michigan to visit family and attend a wedding/ celebrate our Anniversary. We had a wonderful time just the two of us. As we traveled that 14 hour trek. I was simply amazed at our great land. I loved watching the birds fly over, cattle grazing in the meadows, rivers rolling by, and trains that rolled along. I was reminded just how magnificent our country is. I love America!

I am truly humbled and blessed to be born in the greatest country in the world. What abundances and beauty ~what great riches. We will soon be taking our family vacation and will be traveling through six states. There will not be any need to stop at each border and hand over our passports, exchange currency or have a search. We are free to roam from sea to shining sea. We are free to stop as we wish~ worship our God and shop till we drop. (tehe, I just had to throw that in!)  Nowhere in the world do we have so many choices. Within minutes I can be at any store and buy anything I want. We shop for any food we want and have confidence that it is safe to eat and drink. In America~even the poorest have plumbing and are looked after and the elderly are helped.

My family and I can get in our car and get stuck in traffic in a big metropolis (Chicago), walk the sandy dunes in Michigan ( enjoy a pastie or cherry pastry), see the vast farms, hike the mountains of Colorado, enjoy the hills of Missouri, walk the trails of beautiful State Parks, canoe down pretty rivers (watching the snakes go by and hoping they stay in the water), and pass by many churches that still preach the Gospel each and every week. I can hop on a plane and eat Nutella with my grandson on the other side of the county by noon. I can travel anywhere in this great country and be there in four or five hours and never have to explain to the authorities why I am doing so. May we never ~never take this for granted.

Can I just talk family talk with you a minute? We need to be careful bashing our great country. All the news seems negative instead of positive. Let's not get caught up in talking evil of our country. I can look back on my life and at times wonder why I complained~ because in truth I had it real good!  If we ever sat in a country that did not have the freedoms we have ~ I promise you we would remember just how good we had it! All the sudden the things that bothered us~ if we were to lose our freedom ~would seem meaningless.

I don't want to lose anything before I appreciate it. I can complain about liberals but I still enjoy the Rocky Mountains. I can get frustrated at those who want to take God out of our country but I still can enjoy The Grand Canyon. I can get frustrated with our economy but every time I pass the Mighty Mississippi ~ I am still in awe. I moan and groan over grocery and gas prices but we have three cars parked in our driveway. I can dwell on the evils of Hollywood but I am soon going to visit Mount Rushmore and Sturgis. ( Well you probably guess it is My Brian who wants to see Sturgis!)  How about we focus on the good and not get defeated by the bad?

Our earliest citizens wrote about all the ills  in our nation. If you read writings of the leaders from the early 1800's you will find things just as corrupt as they are today. Nothing changes under the sun~ says King Solomon~ and he was the wisest one of all. Looks like men are no better or worse than Adam and Eve.

So today let's stop all the griping about what is wrong with our county and celebrate all that is right!

May God Bless America!