Sounds like something from a Neil Diamond song, but I remember coming to America! I can still see us all sitting in our living room in Paisley, Scotland—I was about eight—listening to my biological father tell us we were moving to America. It was unbelievable! And there was this trembling excitement, a surreal “realness” that I would be in the land of Donny Osmond (it’s true—he was HUGE in Britian). America was everything: it was excitement, opportunity, the Emerald City. Even I knew it at the age of eight.
I guess that’s why, even after 37 years, I tear up every time the national anthem plays. Over the weekend we attend the Stadium of Fire and I was, embarrassingly, a bawling mess. To know what so many have sacrificed in order for me to have a safe and nurturing place for my family to live and grow; to have the incredible quality of life that allows me the convenience and opportunity to write, speak, and still mother six children, is almost too fabulous to take in.
And it’s taken so many to make it so. It’s needed all of us—contributions from each person and generation—and God’s love and mercy to make this nation as great as it is, as struggling as it is. A while ago my husband and I watched a program on the history of America. Over and over—through the railroad, to the Panama Canal, to the mass immigration at Ellis Island—people’s fortitude and perseverance, despite horrifying circumstances, showed me the true backbone of this country. With deep faith in God, themselves, hard work, and timing, they proved repeatedly there is more to America, bone-deep, than we can comprehend.
This July 4th, in between picnics and fireworks and the pure joy and celebration of this great nation, I encourage you to take a minute with your children. Pull them aside. Tell them of your personal love for this country and what it takes to keep it great. Let them know how vital their contribution is, and will be. And help them, for just a few minutes, appreciate those who have contributed before them.
Happy July 4th and God bless America!
Connie
