It's Tough to Nail Down any one Reason to be Proud of my Country.
Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2011
by Ken McCreless
RMS1437
Greetings Fellow Travelers …
In just a few days we'll once again celebrate the birthday of our beloved United States of America. In my ever-challenging pursuit of self-discipline, namely in being grateful, I sit at my desk and face-down a blank electronic page trying to reduce such a long list to one- that list being reasons to be proud of my country. Then it hits me.
My writing!
How many writers across the globe write with a nib of a pencil in a dark corner hoping to get the message out without being caught? Theirs is not a strain to flesh out characters in a work of fiction, as is so often my task-at-hand. These folks are men and women trying to change the world, working to gain the freedom that I too often take for granted.
I have the option of spending hours at a time in an air conditioned office banging away at my keyboard either creating a new world or commenting on my governments latest exploits- or reading anything from yet another casualty of war, or how terrorists--whether Middle Eastern or homegrown--are hoping to kill Americans.
Still, here I sit, and not from anything I've done, really. It's because of those folks who came before me, who took up arms and stood their ground, forcing the retreat of those who hate liberty- and those who are doing that very same thing even as I write and you read.
Understood. I could be out committing mischief, doing my best to inflict harm on others and taking advantage of those weaker than I, but I'm not. For that, I thank God.
It seems clear now, what I am most grateful for, and proud of- opportunity.
And not only that.
I thank God for this country, for my love of words, and for the opportunity to share this with you. Speaking of which, I must get back to my book. I'll leave you with a short poem I wrote a few days ago.
I need not sit here weak and hurting
My pain dispels when I am “wording”
If I could just stop “Angry Birding!”
Ok, back to work!
In just a few days we'll once again celebrate the birthday of our beloved United States of America. In my ever-challenging pursuit of self-discipline, namely in being grateful, I sit at my desk and face-down a blank electronic page trying to reduce such a long list to one- that list being reasons to be proud of my country. Then it hits me.
How many writers across the globe write with a nib of a pencil in a dark corner hoping to get the message out without being caught? Theirs is not a strain to flesh out characters in a work of fiction, as is so often my task-at-hand. These folks are men and women trying to change the world, working to gain the freedom that I too often take for granted.
I have the option of spending hours at a time in an air conditioned office banging away at my keyboard either creating a new world or commenting on my governments latest exploits- or reading anything from yet another casualty of war, or how terrorists--whether Middle Eastern or homegrown--are hoping to kill Americans.
Still, here I sit, and not from anything I've done, really. It's because of those folks who came before me, who took up arms and stood their ground, forcing the retreat of those who hate liberty- and those who are doing that very same thing even as I write and you read.
Understood. I could be out committing mischief, doing my best to inflict harm on others and taking advantage of those weaker than I, but I'm not. For that, I thank God.
It seems clear now, what I am most grateful for, and proud of- opportunity.
And not only that.
I thank God for this country, for my love of words, and for the opportunity to share this with you. Speaking of which, I must get back to my book. I'll leave you with a short poem I wrote a few days ago.
I need not sit here weak and hurting
My pain dispels when I am “wording”
If I could just stop “Angry Birding!”
Ok, back to work!
Ken McCreless is just a guy who loves to write, and was born to do so. He is a freelance writer with several projects ongoing, including books and magazines. A huge fan of both irony and history, Ken has dedicated his life and his writing to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Hey stranger!
Simply put. I'll let Mr. Adams say it all for me: "Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood." John Adams, A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, 1765Thanks Jeff. Still, I must disagree with Mr Adams. If God had not provided it for us, we could NEVER have it.
What'cha been up to, Dude-ster?
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