American Girl

I am sure it is living in Washington, DC that did it for my daughter...gave her the love for country that she has, I mean. Maybe it was experiencing September 11, 2001(AKA 9-11) and her 4th birthday. We thought the sky was falling. It was... aweful. It is tearful still, to remember it now. But I recall standing on the deck at the back of our townhouse, and seeing the F-14 fighter jets race across the sky. They were an absolutely frightening sight, and sound... powerful, and humbling. But also... as the fear set in, and life resumed in our "new normal" of high alert status in and around the District, we grew to love the sounds of our Airforce jets. They became a calming, and peaceful consolation, to the heavy hearts of our people. We knew someone was out there, taking care of us. And what a fantastic display of force, and pride... and the noise... well the noise of these mighty machines affixing a lid to the top of our beautiful city, was constant, and loud. Especially when you consider that all other commercial air traffic was suspended indefinitely. We heard them all throughout the day, and night. Grace and I would point to them in the sky, and with great pride welling up in both of us for this amazing country we are SO blessed to live in... we would talk about our soldiers, and their job to defend us. We felt safe... well, as safe as we could.

Or, maybe it was living just miles from the National Mall, and monuments of our past wars. Maybe it was walking through the Korean Conflit Memorial, and looking into the stone faces of the soldiers on the front lines... and in a whisper, talking of how scared they must have been, and yet they perservered... and of course there was finally and long overdue, the World War II Memorial. Maybe it was seeing vetrans beckoned to this beautiful belated thank you card from our nation... and kneeling before the fountains, they would cry. Maybe this...
It could have been trips to the White House...
Or maybe even the CIA...where thousands work every day to keep us safe--and give up their own identities in the process, for nothing other than a love for country...
But for some reason, my daughter loves America... more than most children her age.
I was at her school this week to volunteer in the classroom. The kids during lunch started a little "raise your hand if you..." game. They are all sweet kids, and they were talking nice and quiet, and asking silly questions like "raise your had if you like vegetables..." Until, one little boy said, "raise your hand if you hate America." MY HEART SANK. Well, if you knew me... you'd all be taking a deep gasp of air right now... I decided to listen first. He went on to say that he loved England because something about he thought his family was British... yeah whatever. Anyway, another little girl whose family was originally from a different country chimed in with "I don't like America because I am really from somewhere else." I couldn't believe it. All in all 3 children out of 18, seemingly had no love or loyalty for their country at all. "What is possibly being said at home, by these parents?!" I said to myself, and to Lisa--another mom next to me who was equally as shocked as I, I think. In this moment, before I spoke to the children... I was sad. I was sad for my Uncle Hugh, a WW II veteran who passed away just months before the completion of the monument dedicated to his war. When I was little, if we were really good, (and begged enough) he would pull out a little box that contained all of his war memories. I will never forget it... It made me sad for even our founding fathers, who dreamed of a place their children could be, and be totally free--as we are. I imagine the dreams they must have had, before they made the long journey to begin anew. I think of Arlington, and remember walking through the silence... rows and rows of souls sacrificed... so that somebody's kid could think NOTHING of saying "boo America" in a 2nd grade classroom without recourse. Boo to YOU... I say to the parent who speaks of America at home in front of your children with ANYTHING but pride, and gratitude in your heart. Boo to YOU, for not instilling in YOUR child, the love for a country many work and risk their lives for every day, to secure the freedoms we so enjoy, and depend on... and take simply for granted.
You would absolutely never have heard these comments from children in Alexandria, VA, where we moved recently from. Texas is what I lovingly refer to as the "peace bubble." I love my home state, and I am so proud of this state (where I did spend my childhood and much of my adult life). But it is fact, that we here are far removed from much of the reality of life in our country. Everyone here for the most part is a willing participant in the conservative Bible belt that buckles up the south. You don't find many different cultures, and religions here-- and therefore we really don't have to work very hard to understand why we even believe the way we do. We are seldom if EVER tested on viewpoints--because everyone is just like you! (or they keep their mouths shut). Our nation's eyes are rarely on this part of the country, because we are predictable...always predictable. Am I complaining? No, not really... but I just feel that we are too sheltered from the world around us sometimes. I talk constantly about DC, and the trials living there brought us... because those trials led always to a deep awakening of something greater than ourselves. It led us to step outside of a comfortable spot, and imagine a different perspective. Of course it brought us back to who we were... and WHY we believed as we did. But the point is when we came back, we CELEBRATED who we are... and amazingly, APPRECIATED where another might be, as well.
To little Sarah, who said "I don't like America, because I am not from here..." I say that Sarah, you are here now. You ARE an American. We embrase you, and love you, BECAUSE you are not from here... and WANTED to be. Your parents here could be everything they ever dreamed of... they were both educated in American Universities, and are both doctors today! Yea America! I say! Because we will take you, and believe in your dreams... and you can be ANYTHING.
I wish I could take all of the children, and their parents to our Nation's beautiful capital. I wish I could show them everything I have seen. I wish I could take them to the places that have made Grace and me feel so humbled, and proud. I wish I could show each of them, what it really means to be an American...to me. I wish they could experience what we have...and know... what we know. I wish it meant more...
Grace's school had a Grandparents celebration in which they honored the veterans in the audience, etc. Each of the classes practiced and performed a special song for the event. Grace came home the day before and said, "Mommy, the 3rd grade was practicing America the Beautiful today... and it really touched my heart." (deep long sigh) I am so glad.
God bless America... and my little American girl.