America ~ Not Perfect But I Still Love You

I was globally aware long before it became popular to think globally.

Because my Daddy was president of the international division of a major

US corporation, I was introduced to people of all nations from a very

early age.  I knew that one of the things I wanted to do as soon as I

was old enough to make my way in this world was to travel everywhere

and see everything through my own eyes as my Daddy did through

his.  So I did.  

I was a teacher at two different schools in the middle east.   My first

teaching experience was at an Irish School in Bahrain.  It was

established to give Irish contractors a school for their

 children to continue their studies while their daddys were under

contract to build an electric substation on the island.  It was a

wonderful experience teaching a small class of 6, 7, and 8  year olds 

in a makeshift classroom on the second floor of a building that housed 

a full fledged Irish pub on the first floor.  

After that, I was hired by the Sacred Heart School to teach first

primary in their newly constructed primary school out in the 

desert in a village named Isa Town.  This time, instead of all the

students coming from one country, my students came from many

countries and many faiths.  Somehow, it all worked.  We all

coexisted and everyone studied hard and grew together as

a community.

I learned first hand how life is quite different in other nations.

The opportunities and freedoms we enjoy in our own country

are often not experienced on the global stage.

Here is what I learned ~

Not all children go to school.  Many are subject to a life

of hard labor with little or no chance for advancement.

Many fathers work in other countries as servants or

gardeners or hotel and restaurant workers to earn enough

money to send back home to support their families.

Citizens are often not permitted to speak their minds

regarding the decisions their government makes.

News and media can and is suppressed by governments

giving citizens limited knowledge of the world

around them.

Not everyone has running water or potable drinking water.

Electric power is often intermittent if available at all.

Sewers don't always exist.  

Medical care is often not available to the average 

citizen in many countries.

Many citizens live in constant fear because of 

tyrannical governments controlled by corrupt

leaders.

After my experience living and traveling abroad for several years,

I returned home to the United States.  While I always had a great

love for this country, I had an even greater appreciation for it after

what I had witnessed through my own eyes in other nations.  The

many opportunities and freedoms that are offered to us became all

the more precious to me.  I was then and am now, very thankful

to be a citizen of the United States.

I am prompted to write this because of the disturbing news I have 

heard recently.  Many Americans have lost pride for our country.

Why I wonder?

Are we perfect?   No of course we are not.  As humans we all make

mistakes and must learn from those mistakes and move on to

create a better future.  Yet we Americans were given through our

constitution, the opportunity to have that freedom to live our

lives in peace and to grow in our maturity and to help those

less fortunate than ourselves.  

This nation is a melting pot of people and cultures.  It is much

like the classroom of my 45 first primary students composed of 

children of many lands and cultures.  It was my job as their 

teacher to help them to work together to learn and grow.  We

made mistakes along the way and learned from them.  At the

end of the school term I was proud of each and every one of

them.  

So as I celebrate this July 4th, the symbol of our freedom

and independence as a nation, I  am proud of my country.

No, we are not perfect.  Yes, we have problems that need

to be addressed.  We are a large family of people of many

varied backgrounds who live and work together sometimes

well, and sometimes not.  Yet we have the opportunity and

the freedom to live together and learn from each other.  

Not all peoples of this planet have the luxuries and rights

that our constitution has afforded.

That being said.  I love this nation and will continue

to be proud to be an American.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Oh and I am thinking that I have lots of stories

about many of my adorable students.  Can't wait

to tell you the story about Patrick and Nigel ~ two

little red haired, freckled face Irish lads who

were full of mischief and how I coped with their

shenanigans as their fresh faced brand new teacher.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley