Let Freedom Ring

I love America. I would say that a vast majority of who I am stems from the fact that I am an American. I'm proud to be an American, and to live in a place where I have so many freedoms, most important to me being the freedom to choose.

To choose who I am, what I do, and who I will become. To choose where to go to school, what to study, and my career path. To choose who, where, how, and if I worship. To choose how hard I want to work. To choose where and how I want to live. To choose how many children I want to have, and when. To choose how to raise those children, what to teach them, and how to support them. To choose my leaders, my husband, my friends. To choose to help or hurt the environment. To choose safety or adventure. To choose to make a difference. To choose to be an individual, instead of one of the crowd. To choose to speak up and be heard. To choose to listen, and to care. To choose to invest in life, in people, in love. To choose to wake up every morning and go out into the world, not knowing what to expect. To choose laughter and hope over sorrow and despair. To choose how and if I support my country. To choose people over things. To choose compassion and mercy over justice and punitive action. To choose kindness over comfort. To choose my own path. To make my own mistakes. To stare down the road to my future and make a choice, not knowing what the consequences may be or where I am going to end up.

To those who have defended this country--sacrificed lives, comfort and convenience so that I can live in place where I feel safe, secure, and free--I thank you. Thank you for choosing to invest in me: in my happiness, in my future, in my freedom. I hope that every day I can make the same choice as you did (and do)--to invest in others--so that you can be Proud of the America you have helped to create and defend.

P.S. For a great post on why being a liberal is American, check out my brother's blog here. It's the best post he's ever written, and is a perfect post for the 4th of July. Happy Independence Day!