Resiliency and the American Spirit

Resiliancy and the American Spirit

As 9/11 approaches, I've been doing a lot of thinking about America, our heritage, our spirit, our will to live, and our appreciation of life and others.  Overall, we share a respect for life and love, fostter optimism with hopes and dreams, and work towards a better future.  As a nation, no, we're not perfect, but the fact that we strive to be better...do better...well that's just amazing.

We're a work in progress, and our achievements make us examples the world over.

The American Spirit and ability to overcome, adapt, carry on, and resume our hopes and dreams is truly inspirational.

After visiting Ground Zero personally this past summer with my husband, my appreciation for the American spirit and our capacity has only soared.

I think about the charitable nature and goodwill we have as we reach out to other countries, and our own, that are reeling from natural disaster.

I appreciate and respect our troops fighting for us, and for the betterment of other countries;

I'm thankful for the teamwork of those fighting fires, cleaning up after floods, or massing together after a violent personal tragedy;

I admire the joy in watching a football game, a dimunitive gymnist with a huge smile and a positive spirt, or joining backyard barbecue;

I contemplate our friends and neighbors who band together to help locate a missing child, or pull a car out of a raging wash, or even the little things, like...my own father in law.

My father-in-law was the typical head-of-household kind of man that came home to dinner on the table and kids who were seen and not heard.  (Ok...ok, I am exaggerating a bit, but it's to show a point)

In the past few years, my mother-in-law's health has decreased and she finds mobility and even talking clearly all very challenging right now.

Does my father-in-law sit around moping, complaining, or shutting out the world at his change in circumstance?  No, despite being 82 years old, his internal spirit has risen to the challenge and he's up cleaning house, feeding the birds, pampering the cat (all in the manner his wife would want of him)...and cooking and creating new dishes in the kitchen.  All this AND taking care of his wife.

The photo I share is of my father-in-law's recent efforts in the kitchen.  Here he is making Eggplant Parmesan and the results you see are over an hours' worth of slicing, dipping, and breading....look at that amazing smile.

You see, It's all those little things here in the United States that add up to the BIG SPIRIT that we are as Americans. We are the land of the free, the proud, and we are rescuers.  It sets us apart and defines us to the world. 

Our French exchange student last year commented that everywhere there are so many American Flags.

Well...we're proud...and yes, we'll wave our flags to prove it. 

We have spirit...yes we do.  We have spirit...how 'bout you.