My Grandson Marco: I am Proud to be an American

My Grandson Marco:  I am Proud to be an American

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

As I am sure you are aware, the above is the third verse to Lee Greenwood’s iconic song, Proud to be an American.

We have all heard it played before, especially before sporting and patriotic events during the first few years ofAfghanistan, and Iraq wars. A few of us may have even shed a few tears as we sang, or listened to the lyrics. As is common, the more we heard it, the more we began to tune it out. Soon the lyrics were lost in the hum-drum of daily life.

As many of you are aware, my wife and I adopted two children…a girl from El Salvador, and a boy from Brazil. I guess, I should clarify things…the girl is in her 30’s now…so she is a woman. The boy is no longer a boy…he is a 20-something, recent college grad…a man.

Our daughter was the subject of my Lenten season blog, where I chronicled her story from the time we adopted her, up through today. Gina is married, and has three children; Jose, Jaslin, and little Marco.

 This blog is about little Marco, my grandson.

Gina posted a movie clip of little Marco on Face Book. In the video, Marco is practicing singing Lee Greenwood’s song for his Kindergarten graduation ceremony. I have posted it below for you to watch as well. Gina says she can’t stop Marco from singing the song…that he sings it all the time.

As I watched him sing, I thought of my wife’s and I decision to adopt Gina. At the time of her adoption, we knew we were giving her a tremendous opportunity. We were giving her an opportunity to be a part of a loving family, to receive the best medical care in the world, the gift of an education…but the most important gift of all…American citizenship!

As little Marco sang, I thought of our family all going to the Federal Courthouse in downtown Cleveland for Gina’s citizenship ceremony years and years ago. It was unseasonably cold winter’s day. The snow was coming down, but it was the cold winter wind coming in off Lake Erie that made your bones ache. We clung to the sides of the buildings, trying to block the wind, as we made our way from the parking deck to the courthouse. That winter wind did little to cool the spirits of those proud souls there to take the Oath of Allegiance to our great country. The expressions on their faces told the story of where they were now standing on this Earth, was not lost on them. They were proud to be an American.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

As I watched little Marco, I thought of the fact that it wasn’t just Gina whom we helped, it was her children, and their children, and so on down the line…that they all would be American citizens.  And now the significance of our sacrifice, so long ago, was now being played out before me.

I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be living here today.
‘ Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.

Many of us take our country for granted. Many of take our freedoms for granted. Many of us take the opportunities this great land presents for granted as well. I can assure you, that those who were born elsewhere don’t. We have an immigration problem because we are the most sought after place in the world. We don’t ever want to have a country where people from other parts of the globe, stop risking their lives and giving up everything they own just to stand on our soil.

The day they all stop wanting to be here, will be the day we discovered that we failed ourselves and our forefathers…because we didn’t cherish and nurture that seed of freedom planted in our rich soil by our Founding Fathers, and blessed by the hands of Almighty God. Will you all join me in singing along with little Marco…

From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.

That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

God bless the USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bllIyErZpio