How to Celebrate the American Way

Growing Up Patriotic

          When I was 11, we lived in Hampton, Virginia. My father was a major in the Air Force and he was stationed at Langley Air Force Base. I came into the kitchen one afternoon to find my mother at the sink, her shoulders bobbing slightly from her sobs, her head hung over her work of peeling carrots, I think. In the background, from the old stained Bakelite radio on the counter, the strains of God Bless America were playing.

          I was stunned to crash this intimate and moving scene of my mother. I was speechless as she turned to reassure me. “I always get emotional when I hear this song,” she said. Being in a military family, around this anthem a lot, I wondered why I never knew this about her. My mother was pretty reserved, so to see this side of her was huge. I appreciated being a part of this touching moment. It pierced my heart with a lasting memory of her patriotism and love of country. To this day I get emotional when I hear that song or the Star Spangled Banner, whether it’s because of patriotism or because it reminds me of an infrequently occurring dear moment from my childhood.

Patriotism Defined

          Webster’s defines patriotism as “love or devotion to one’s country.” I certainly feel this toward my country. We’ve always been the most free and democratic nation in the world. We’ve been the greatest super power and the country that offers the most to people from anywhere else who might be seeking a safe haven. But that is changing. Trying times have altered that generosity; hopefully this shift won’t be permanent.

          I’m thrilled