Happy Independence Day!!
Whether we agree or not in this day and time on the current situations of our Country, we still live in the best country in the world IMO. We have our faults, we have done many wrongs too many people, so has every other country in trying to gain more, out of greed. Its wrong, yes, can we change the past, no. Can we learn from the past, yes, and we can make for better days ahead for ALL the people!
We are a nation that has the right to speak out against such wrong acts, there are way more countries that do not allow freedom of speech, freedom of anything for that matter. We have that right, though it should not lead to violence, but rather be allowed to make change for all the people, not just some of the people.
I do cringe every so often when I see the young people of our nation, who maybe dont truly understand the sacrifices that have been made, to help them live a better life, putting down our military, especially the soldiers who come home, after seeing unspeakable acts take place before them, seeing the horrors of war that will never leave them. I dont agree with all the things we have done in our past, nor places we are in now for that matter, but I do make it a point to thank a vet, buy a meal, do something to show my gratitude for the service, sacrifice they and their families made, so I can be free. There are things going on in this world where our military is showing their might, not in violent ways, but just to say, we are here, we can see you and we know you have intent to do us harm. Im glad our service people are there to maybe keep violence from knocking on our doors everyday from other countries. Because of them, I can lay my head down at night in peace.
Im not trying to push my agenda or beliefs on anyone but rather share my sentiments towards what this day stands for. We all know how we got here, by declaring our independence from a nation we no longer wanted to be a part of, to be taxed by, at least that's what the history books say. Is it all truth, I hope so, but who knows. Maybe then, even our founding fathers may have had some hidden agenda like many in Govt do these days. Its beside the point. It still created a pretty doggone good nation. People have clamored to get here before and ever since then. Still to this day they come. I only ask, once here, be fair in sharing the burdens we citizens share, pay as we pay, but beyond that, more power to them for making the trek, some treacherous, to make a better life for their families.
We all know someone Im sure who lives the American Dream that is talked about often. We citizens, those natural born amongst us, we are the lucky, fortunate ones. The ones who came here with little to their names and made a better life for themselves, they are truly living the American Dream, we find ourselves often complaining about. We got it easy!! They had to work 3 times or more, as hard to attain it.
I have worked for many years with hispanic workers who have shared their stories of their homeland, how they got here, how much it cost to become a citizen here. To hear their stories, the horrors of suppression, pain, suffering they dealt with, and still deal with as they try to get their loved ones here too. And these are guys I know who went through the legalities of coming here, becoming a citizen, and making a better life for themselves.
So here are the stories I wish to share of folks who I have met in recent months who I now consider friends. They are colleagues now.
One lady, Cvijeta, cleans for us now in the homes we renovate at the retirement community. She has shared stories of how she as a little girl carried around grenades for protection from the communist govt. she lived in. Her father was arrested 7 times for resisting communism, at times they didnt know if he was alive. He was a shepherd who walked 400 plus miles each way, herding his sheep, sleeping under the stars in rain, snow, etc., to keep his family intact. He challenged her to be a leader, not a sheep(follower) and that's how she lives her life. She makes a good observation of how so many natural born citizens are sheep these days, and I tend to agree. She came here in 05, worked her way up in a grocery chain to become a manager. Her 1st paycheck, she bought herself a baby doll, when she was 21. Her co-workers laughed at her, but she didnt care. She said they were too poor to afford one when she was a little girl, so this was a representation of her success. She went on to start her own cleaning business, works hard, and has plans to expand and hire employees soon.
2nd story, Stefan, another Serbian born fellow, came here in 05 as a little boy. He didnt experience as much the horrors of war as his father did. His father and family fled the area to come here, Stefan telling me they had a nickel, no luggage, only the clothes on their backs, that's it! I dont know the whole background but I hope someday to hear more of their story. But Stefans dad built a small construction business from the ground up, hard work, sweat, tears and blood to make his American Dream come true. I only see where they are now. They make cabinet doors for me, and I walk into their shop to see some amazing equipment that would cost millions upon millions, I know, because I have seen the price tag, and its impressive.
Stefan and Cvijeta understand what July 4 means, Marcileno, Jami, Alex, Carlos and so many more of the hispanic guys I know, they too understand it. We should never take for granted what this day means. Patriotism comes in many forms, express yours in the way you see fit. Its our given right as citizens of the USA. I thank God to be blessed to be a small part of this nation.
Sorry for the novel
Stepping off the podium now
I wanted to share these stories only as a reminder, with all our faults, we still are the place to be. We are the place others wish to be, and will do almost anything to get here.
So Happy 4th of July USA, Happy Birthday to the greatest nation on Gods green Earth!!
May you and your families celebrate in any way you see fit, be safe and enjoy!!
But we are making the best of it. We were at the studios yesterday in line for Mickey and Minnie railroad when it went down. We decided to just wait it out since everything had a line. Then we had a torrential down pour. Finally made it in the ride. Our first time. Thought it was so cute! We walked around Star Wars land to check it out. Weren’t able to get into the virtual queue at 7 or 1. But still wanted to see it. Then made our way to toy story land. We rode the alien saucers. Got off of that to yet another torrential downpour. By now we were really uncomfortable and lines were long. So we went back to our room. Changed and chilled a bit. For dinner we headed to Epcot and tried many of the small items from the taste of Epcot outdoor kitchens. We did a few rides including a short wait for soaring then headed back to the room for the night.
