AN EXERCISE IN APPRECIATION

On days like Veterans Day, my mind goes back to a special experience that we had in June, 2011. 

At that time we had just come home from 4 years overseas, & we were spending time with our kids on the West Coast. We attended a soccer game with them and the only thing I really remember from that game was the National Anthem.

After having spent 4 years overseas where it wasn't really wise to to display any kind of American symbol outside our house, including something as innocuous as a tee shirt with an American flag (things that we take for granted that we can do here in the US) we heard our National Anthem being played on the stadium's PA system. 

Hearing it like that for the first time in 4 years, I can't tell you how that felt. We were home, in a place where we could do things like that freely.

We were at that moment in a place where we weren't seen legally & culturally as people that were transplanted to another country. To be honest, I choked up when I heard our National Anthem.

So, for those that have a problem with our flag or our National Anthem, things that symbolize our country, I would like to suggest a little exercise in appreciation.

It would be good for you to try spending not just a day, a week, a month, or even a few months outside the US. Try spending 2 years or 4 years outside the US. Then come back and see if that has an effect on your ability to appreciate your nation, our nation, & the things that symbolize its greatness.