Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
A Happy Fourth of July To You And Yours! (By M'Buti Ayala Moore-Sormiento) (To Everyone Here At AuthorsDen! :) ) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Saturday, July 3, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
M'buti's turn to wish her friends and loved ones a happy Independence Day. (July 4 is a very important day in her life: that is the day she became an American citizen. She has been a citizen of the United States for two years now.)
The Fourth of July is a very special day for me.
The Fourth of July is a special day for everyone who calls themselves an American or makes their home in the United States, as it is the day when our country became a reality, and we, as a result, became to be known as Americans. It is our birthday, our day of independence, and it is one of the biggest holidays of our nation. The day is celebrated in grand style: speeches about our country, parades, festivals or fairs, picnics with family and friends, music, and of course, to top off a perfect, fun-filled day, fireworks which light up the nighttime sky.
It is also a special day for me because tomorrow will mark my two-year anniversary of when I became an American. My five-year-old son, was just barely three then (he celebrated his third birthday on the 26th of June two years ago; he has since just turned five and will be starting kindergarten in the fall; my, how kids grow up so fast!), and I had just gotten out of the hospital after having lifesaving surgery. I was cachexic, horribly thin, and I looked like I was dying. I was on oxygen at the time, and I was in a wheelchair, as I was still too weak to walk; yet, I wanted to go for my citizensip, so after taking classes and studying, even as badly as I felt, I still went for it, and I passed. On July 4, 2002, I was officially sworn in as a brand new citizen of the United States of America, and I cried like there was no tomorrow. It was one of the biggest things to ever happen to me ever since first becoming sick, and it was one of the happiest days of my life. I remember I was wearing a white oversized teeshirt that had a firework on the front, and I remember holding a small American flag that the judge had given to me and the other immigrants who had passed the citizenship test, and we had to say this speech, and after the speech was done, we were then officially citizens of the United States of America. (My husband still has that tape, and he plays it every Fourth of July. He said he was really proud of me. Jubaki has seen the tape too, but this will be the first year where he will be old enough to understand the significance of his mother being sworn in as a new citizen; and no doubt, he will have questions, of which I will be more than happy to answer. My husband says he still gets teary-eyed whenever he views the tape because he sees how far I have come since being sick, and that I am now doing much better, healthwise. He also says that my becoming a citizen of the United States was a dream come true because that now meant that I was now an American, and I could do things now that I couldn't beforehand, like vote for the President, speak my mind about our country or president without risking my own life or risk getting arrested, and live as a free person.)
Now that I am a free person, an American by naturalization, I can learn to appreciate the things that I didn't have before I came to this country from Kenya, Africa, and all of a sudden, the meaning of "freedom" has taken a whole new meaning of importance for me and my life. I love my new home called America, and I love everything about her and her people. America is a huge melting pot, made up of people of all races, faiths, and beliefs, and yet, despite our obvious differences, we are all tied together, united by our home that is America. We may look or sound different from one another, but we are still Americans, and we live and work here in one of the greatest nations of the world.
To celebrate my special day, my husband will take me and our children to the park after we watch the video and just enjoy each other's company, and also enjoy the parade and the meaning of what it is truly like to be free; and praise God for allowing me to come to America to start a brand new life for myself. I wouldn't have had it as good back home in Kenya, and I would have probably never made it as far as I have, even when I was so very sick and came close to dying. Here, at least I have a chance to better myself and provide for not only my husband, but for three darling children that I am more than happy to call my very own. My kids will have opportunities beyond their wildest dreams, and they will have a chance to succeed in life, something that they may have never had had they been born in Africa.
We will also see the fireworks display lighting up the Tennessee night sky, and we will marvel at the incredible beauty of the lighted balls exploding into the night air with a loud noise that will make us jump and tingle with sheer excitement and joy. Jubaki will also get his first opportunity to enjoy sparklers, which are like tiny fireworks on long sticks, and the babies will no doubt either cry or laugh during the noisy fireworks display. They are now two, and they will probably be able to recollect what has happened; and they will be able to talk about it when they get a little older. The fireworks are always a high point in my life; and every time I see them, I cry with happiness because I feel so honored to be an American, and now live in the Land of The Free and the Home of the Brave.
God bless America and her people; long may she reign!
And on that note, while I am thinking of this, let me be among the many to wish you and yours a very happy, safe, and fun-filled Fourth of July! And Happy Birthday, America!! :)
Happy Fourth of July to each and every one of you here at the Den! May it be full of fun, festivities, family, friends, and fireworks! Be safe, and have a "BLAST"!
precious, priceless story of what it means to live in the land of the free--either native born or recently arrived, it is worth the cost too many paid--thank you--well done!
The Fourth of July is a very special day for me.
