Moms still read bedtime stories to their kids. And while I’m pretty sure that’s not a strictly American thing, it’s where my story starts.
This year, the 4th of July has felt less exciting—or the idea of celebrating it, at least. There are multiple reasons for that, and I will not go into all of them right now, but it just has not felt like something I wanted to do this year. What I can tell you is that it’s not really political, and that’s important. This holiday, this celebration of our 250th year as a country, has nothing to do with our President or anyone’s political views. It is a representation of our united love for our country, for this idea of freedom and democracy.
I’ve found myself mourning for this country lately as if she had died. That has nothing to do with who is or is not in office, and more to do with this growing divide I see getting bigger and bigger each day. It has more to do with how far the US dollar does not go anymore. It’s rising food costs and, worse, more expensive healthcare. It’s another blog’s worth of issues that you, me, and everyone else in this country are facing right now. These are the issues we are all facing and not talking about because we are too busy fighting about ideology and opinions.
Mea culpa.
Have you ever had a feud with someone so long that you can’t remember why you’re even mad? I know I have. I don’t know why we are fighting here either; I don’t know why we are fighting each other, at least.
Moms still read bedtime stories to their kids. I was sitting tonight in my younger kids’ bedroom as they were getting ready for bed, and I was listening to their mom read them a story. She does this pretty much every night. I was looking around the room and saw a sticker from my oldest son’s band on the bedpost, and I thought, “Little kids still want to be like their older siblings,” and “Kids still want to be rock stars,” and “Parents still want to see their kids have a better life,” and finally, “We still live in a country where that’s possible.” We’ve got some work to do, primarily coming together as a people, as a nation. Because we the people are the nation, not the elected officials, no matter which side of the aisle they stand on. The dream is still alive and well in this country, and the framework is there to rebuild on.
Liberty is not dead, but it’s on life support.
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