Trying not to take freedom for granted

I try to not take for granted the word freedom. I believe some may be spoiled by that. I am grateful and thank God for freedom.

I am free to get an education and a job. The right to be grateful for what I have. A roof over my head, food to nourish my body and a loving family. I cannot imagine living in a country that could dictate my life or with a government to tell me how many children I may have. It is more difficult to imagine not being free.

Freedom is voices that speak with heart, mind and soul. It is the right to be free to smile or to hug a friend in public. It is the nonverbal communication that transcends all people. America is the melting pot of freedom. It was the influx of immigrants from Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. It is the Hmong man who farms to feed his family and share true meaning of "free enterprise." It is the elderly East Indian man riding his bicycle with "Old Glory" waving proudly in the breeze. It is the freedom to believe in God, Buddha, Ghandi, the Great Spirit, etc.

Freedom is the right to believe "In God We Trust" and the constitutional right of our forefathers; to be able to make the "you" and "I" into the "we" as in "We the People."

We are free to bring the past with the future for peace and the visions of hope for tomorrow, cultivating joy and love for all mankind. It is also the positive emotion of being thankful that helps cultivate the spirit of being free.

Life is precious and far too short for us to forget who we are and where we all come from. Lift your hearts, America.

Let freedom ring.