God Bless America!

Hello! I hope you’re having a relaxing week. And, if you’re American, I hope you’re having fun celebrating our great country.

Growing up as a child of the ‘60’s my mind was filled with mixed images. It seemed the Viet Nam war was a daily news story for my entire childhood. So were the protests against it. I honestly don’t remember my parents discussing the war one way or another so it was more distant to me. Both of my brothers were fortunately too young to be drafted during the war. The United States of America was just the country where I lived.

At age 21 I had the opportunity to spend six months in London, England. I came home after only three. I can’t blame my early departure all on the UK though. I was a bit of a mess after having lost my flower shop, and was in a pretty deep state of depression. But England was, well . . . it wasn’t America.

I distinctly remember landing at San Francisco airport in 1980. I literally knelt down and kissed the asphalt on the tarmac, so happy to be back in my own country, my great country, the United States of America.

The reasons why we love anything is very personal, isn’t it, whether it be our child, pet, or even our country. But there’s no denying when someone else shares that love with you, it is truly awesome. So while July 4th might be special to you for different reasons, it is in fact a special day for Americans.

No matter how you celebrate, I pray my fellow Americans are safe and secure, particularly with Mother Nature wreaking havoc in so many areas right now. I pray you are with those you love, even if it’s only in spirit.

And I pray that God continues to bless America.