God Bless the USA

I would describe myself as someone who loves America. I love the 4th of July celebrations and many of the associated songs (Confession: when I was about 9 my cousin and I memorized all the words to "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood and would sing it at the top of our lungs in my grandparents backyard . . .)

Some of my favorite lines from patriotic songs:

"If tomorrow all the things were gone
I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again
with just my children and my wife,
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."

- God Bless the USA, Lee Greenwood

"America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
. . .
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw"

- America the Beautiful, Katharine Lee Bates

"from every mountainside let freedom ring!
. . .
I love thy rocks and rills,
thy woods and templed hills;
my heart with rapture thrills, like that above."

- My Country, 'Tis of Thee, Samuel F. Smith

"Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust" "

- The Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key

Now, I know that not everyone in this great nation believes in or worships God. I'm grateful that they and I can live and work side by side. I also know that not everyone thinks we should be proud of America.

George Bernard Shaw said: "Patriotism is your conviction that this county is superior to all other countries because you were born in it."

I don't think this has to be true - or that this is THE definition of Patriotism. When I first read this quote, it reminded me of a quote that hung in my locker all through high school - it went something like this:

'Learn to love yourself without comparing yourself to others. This will help you love yourself properly without conceit.'

I'm not saying I am good at this, or even that I actually know how. I am saying I love the concept, and it is something I strive to do. I have even worked to learn this lesson in relation to places I have lived - is the West better than the East or the South? I don't think so. I love them all - they all have wonderful and beautiful things about them. While I have never lived outside the USA, I am sure the same thing is true of other countries in comparison to here.

Sure, America's not perfect. I'll repeat the plea in America the Beautiful - "God mend thine every flaw". But, I'm still grateful for all the wonderful things about this place I call home. And I'll repeat: "God bless the USA!" bless us to become better, bless us to be grateful for what we have and bless us to treat one another as brothers and sisters.