I am 13 years old, and I have several things on my mind. Today is July 6 (two days after July 4, Independence Day), and I thought I would write down things that I am thankful for. (Yes, I could do this around Thanksgiving, but I am writing this down in reference to being an American citizen and living here in America.)
1.) First and foremost, I am thankful for my freedom, and for being born here. I was born 13 years ago in a tiny Cajun town in the state of Louisiana, and I was born to parents who truly loved and cherished me. They gave me love and discipline, and they made me feel good about myself. As an American, I am what most people around this world are NOT: FREE.
As an American, I am able to choose what religion I want to be. (I was raised Catholic, but have since turned Christian. I am now Assembly of God/nondenominational.) I am able to wear the clothes I want (as long as they are in good taste; I DO have limits on that, plus the school I go to has a dress code), and I am able to say my views on certain things. People may not agree with what I have to say, but that is okay. People are free to say what they think, even though it may be entirely different. I am able to pick my own friends, my own music, my own wants in life. I can be whatever I choose: I could be a nurse (like my mom), work at a store (like my daddy does; he works at Wal*Mart as a greeter), or even become something like a physicist or a nuclear scientist or even an astronaut if I so choose.
2.) Secondly of all (and probably just as important to me) is my family. I was adopted at the age of 9, and I was adopted into a family that is loving, caring, and genuinely concerned about kids in general, especially kids who are disabled or considered "unwanted".(My birth parents died when I was 6 years old.) My parents are hardworking, sensible, practical and nonjudgmental in their way of thinking or doing things, and they are making sure we have lots of love and support. They are also teaching us the importance of familly, and they are teaching us about values and morals. My brothers and sisters are also teaching me about racial equality and tolerance, and they are also teaching me about difference in cultures and of other lands. They are also teaching me about compassion towards the disabled and handicapped, and they are teaching me about overcoming even the greatest of odds.
3.) I am also thankful for my friends. I don't have that many friends as it is (I am basically a loner at times, especially around girls my age, for I would rather play something like tackle football with the boys than to go shopping for clothes or listen to rap or rock music), and I am just thankful for the friends I DO have.
4.) As an American, I am thankful for our government and our President. (I am glad we have a Christian for a president; maybe HE can bring Jesus back into our country; ever since prayer was taken out of school so long ago, America has gone donwhill fast; it seems that morals and values don't matter, and the kids today are running amuck, thanks to lack of parental discipline and supervision.) Sure, our government CAN--and they so often DO--make mistakes, but no man is immune from error, no matter how big (or how small) they may happen to be. Too many places in the world don't have a stable government, and crime and corruption are running rampant. And too many places in the world are in a state of war or civil unrest, and too many innocent people are being killed or hopelessly crippled. And too many places are targets of terrorism attacks (including us; look what happened last September 11 in New York City and in Washington DC). There is too much in the way of hate and/or violence in the world, and it seems as though nobody cares for their fellow man anymore.
5.) As an American, I am thankful for the different nationalities involved in making our nation a diverse one. We have Blacks from Africa, Spanish people from South and Central America, Mexico, and Spain, French people from Canada and France, Orientals from Asia and the Pacific, and Native American Indians from the Plains states and other states. We are all different in color or appearance, but we are ALL Americans. We are also different in our faiths and religions: we have Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Wiccan, Jewish, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and others represented in the way we believe in God or what He represents. (Some religions don't believe in God at all. Some people are athiests; they don't believe there is a God.) We are all different, but as a nation, we are united as one, and we are all for the better because of it.
And finally, as an American, I am thankful for those who died trying to preserve our freedom in past wars or conflicts, and I am thankful for our veterans--veterans like Early Pike whom I met earlier this week while waiting for my mom and little sister, Ronee'. They fought for our freedom, and we must do ALL WE CAN to thank them for the sacrifices they made (and still do).
How blessed I am to be living in the greatest Nation: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!
