Here we are at day 24. The hemming
is falling out of my shirt and I can’t get some of the stains out of it and I'm pretty sure that the cat and dog hair is permanently embedded in it . But it was awesome
to go to a youth convention and see other people wearing this shirt too. I also
got a chance to speak to some kids about what I’m doing and how they could join too. It was really cool.
Since today is Veteran’s Day, I
thought I would talk about patriotism. You know, living in America is
wonderful. Every day I wake up I’m not afraid of going to work at a church, I
don’t have to worry about being fed, I’m not scared of catching ebola, I've got
money in my wallet and food in my pantry and two loving parents that have given
me so much. And it’s just so maddening when I hear people disrespecting my
country. Sure, I don't agree with all the things going on in the government and
there are a lot of things that I’d like to change, but I will always love my
country, no matter who is sitting in the White House. When I think of all the
people who have risked and given their lives over the past 200 years so that I
can live in a place of freedom, I’m reminded that it is not the government that
I love about this country. It is the people. That’s what this country has
always been about. The people. We fight wars not because of hatred, but because
of love. We have the right to protect those that we love from those that hate
the ones we love. Men and women have given their lives for the freedom that we
take for granted every day. We post on Facebook and Twitter how our government
is being corrupted and how our country is falling apart and “Wake up, Mr.
Obama!” But other countries don’t even have the freedom to say how they feel.
We are so blessed. And what do we do with these blessings? We use it to
criticize. We use it to speak negatively. Yes, you have the right to your
opinions, but don’t take lightly the freedom you have to voice them. I’m not
saying I want you to stop posting political things on the internet. I just want
you to remember that this country is still good. And the next time you post
something about how corrupt this country is, remember our sons and daughter,
our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers, our best friends are laying
down their lives for this country. Remember when we were little and our mothers
told us, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”? That
still applies to us today and it applies to what we post on the internet about
our country and political leaders. They are the people leading our country.
They need our prayers, whether you agree with them or not. After all, it’s up
to us, not just political leaders, to take care of this country. This is a
country “of the people, for the people and by the people”. We are a country of
the ordinary who can become the extraordinary. Any man can die, but only the brave can
die for his country. So many have fallen in the name of freedom, justice, and honor just so that we can have the right to slander our country behind a computer screen? So much has changed since the birth of America, but her people can still love
her and care for her. This country was forged for freedom and we should not
take that freedom lightly.
We have the right to speak out. So
with that freedom speak out life, speak out hope, and above all speak out love.
And when our country has done that, then we can say “God bless America.”
I want to say thank you to all who
have served our country, in each and every war. Most importantly, I want thank
my father for serving in the army and my brother who continues to serve in the
army today. You are my heroes and because of you, I can voice my opinion.
I owe you and so many others more than I can give. All I can do is thank you.
Just know that I believe in you and I still believe that this is a country
worth fighting for. Thank you.
