Happy Birthday, USA!!

It's easy to take everything we have in the USA for granted. One of the blessings of having children is the ability to rediscover so much about what you know.

Calanit may only be 2.5, but she understands a lot and we took it upon ourselves to explain a bit about Independence Day. I told her a bit of the story of the 13 colonies and their desire for indenpendence from Britain. I explained briefly about the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

As I explained the concepts of liberty and freedoms of religion and speech, I found myself getting a bit emotional.

In the background, I had selected a patriotic themed musical ensemble. As I spoke with her, I thought of all of the places I've been where freedoms are not taken for granted, because they don't exist fully (China, Soviet Union, eastern Europe, Jordan, Morocco, Malaysia, and Peru) and it gave me pause to really appreciate and cherish the uniqueness of the American experiment.

It's easy to get upset with the way things go on a day to day basis and there's a lot we can do to improve things in the US, but when all is said and done, this country is perhaps the most special place for all peoples in the history of the world. We can't forget that nor can we allow that to change.

Happy 230th birthday America! and Thank You Calanit for helping me appreciate this country even more today.