Twenty-Two Days of Thanks: Day Six

What am I thankful for?

1. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
2. My family
3. My church
4. My friends
5. Unexpected opportunities
6. My country

I am a very patriotic American....

We have what I call a "porch flag" in front of our house and a flag pole out in our backyard, too.  We believe in flying our flag high with pride and respect.  We follow flag honors and flag etiquette.

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On Independence Day (yes, we call it that and not the 4th of July), we get patriotic and wear our red, white and blue proudly. 

We honor our soldiers and our country the best we know how...

and you'll always find tears stinging my eyes when our veterans go by in our little town's parade...



...Especially when I consider that they were willing to give their lives for my freedom, my country, and (essentially) for me.  These are the men and women that I choose to have my children look up to, and I don't regret it.  I want them to know the sacrifice some give for all, and I want them to learn to honor and love them for it.

To all our soldiers, past, present and future: THANK YOU...for everything.  Saying "thank you" is not enough, but it's the best I can do.

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As an American, I also vote whenever there is an election...

I think it is our civic duty and our right to do so.

Getting up early and going to stand in a line in the cold (and sometimes rain, snow or mix of those) in order to vote is not the best thing for my Fibromyalgia, but it is the best thing for this American to do.  I don't regret the stiffness and/or pain that comes from it.  I don't regret the time it takes to wait in line.  I wear my little "I Voted" sticker proudly all day long, with a smile on my face, and think, "I'm so glad that I get to live in a country like mine where the people have a voice and can choose who they want to lead their country."  It's not a perfect process (nothing is), but it's our process, and I do my part.  I firmly believe God is in control, anyway (nothing catches Him by surprise), so I don't worry over the details.  I believe God would have me vote, no matter the outcome, so I do it.

To our leaders, local and nation-wide and everywhere between and beyond: Thank you for your service.  I may not agree with you politically, I may not have voted for you, but I will pray for you.  I will pray for guidance and wisdom for you.  I will pray that you turn to God for the answers, but even if you do not, I will not belittle or bash you (though I know I may get frustrated with you and joke now and then, but I'll try not to).  God allowed you to become the leaders of our government, so therefore I will respect your office and act accordingly.

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If you're an American who is registered to vote, I hope that you have voted or will vote today.  Your vote DOES matter!  Use your "voice" - it's important...for all of us.

If you're not American and reading this, I hope that you will do right by your country, and (forgive me for being blunt) if you cannot, that you find a new one that you can do right by (that goes for Americans, as well).  We can't control where we're born.  Our family is our family, our home is our home, our country is our country.  We CAN, however, strive to make a difference, to make things better - no matter where we are.

How will you make a difference today?

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What are you thankful for today?

Stop by my Twenty-Two Days of Thanks page (it's the bottom link in the left sidebar) and leave a comment or link-up a post that talks about something you're thankful for.  I'd love to hear from you!

(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)