I’ve decided to join the 4th Annual Patriot’s Journey wherein I’ll endeavor to post something positive about the USA each day between Memorial Day and Independence Day. If my math is correct, and assuming I have access to a computer and am not otherwise indisposed, I’ll have 28 weekday posts, 28 good things to say about my country. Sounds worthy and doable, right?

Other bloggers participating are Drumwaster’s Rants, Speed Of Thought, The Bastidge, Right Thoughts and Cosmicbabe. 

If you have a blog, feel free to join in or, if you feel so inclined, feel free to contribute to this one.  So let’s begin:

As I was preparing yesterday’s Memorial Day post, I stumbled across this short essay written in 2001 by a third grader named Ali at Academy Elementary School in Madison, Connecticut, presumably as a class project. I was immediately taken with the beautiful simplicity and wisdom of her words, and amazed that someone so young could so clearly see what so many of us have seemingly forgotten: that we owe a debt of immeasurable gratitude to the men and women who made the supreme sacrifice to insure our liberties and freedom, and that we should always remember how they set us free.

“As the flowers rest on the decorated graves and the sunlight shines on the beautiful sailboats, Uncle Sam whispers in my ear about how we should care for the soldiers and remember the ones that have died. Swimming pools open, BBQs fry. Today is the day to think of what they have done for us. There are blurs of red, white and blue marching down the street and flags are lowered at half-mast. But we should always remember and never forget what set us free, from this very day on.”

Whenever I read or hear something like this, I’m relieved, thankful that there is hope for our future, that we won’t forget those who gave their all to preserve liberty. And I’m reassured knowing that young people like Ali will help keep the fire burning in all of us.