God Bless the USA!

Sitting here waiting for my pies to bake and watching the flag waving out on my porch, I started thinking about what it really means to be an American. It occurred to me it's kind of like what it really means to be a Christian.

First we must welcome the stranger into our fold. We can't judge and we need to be sure said stranger knows he's welcome. ("Give me your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.")

We must know, even though we have this wonderful "thing," we must respect those who don't share it. We must communicate our message of hope with love and kindness.

We should learn all we can about others and their ways. How can we tell anyone we have the better answer if we don't know what we're up against?

Remember, just as Jesus started a "new religion," the founding fathers of this country also started from scratch and formed it with people from other cultures who wanted something better.

Most of all, leave your judgementalism at home. Love others as Jesus did, sacrificially, and realized no one person is superior to another.

Have a blessed holiday and remember all those who sacrificed so that we could come together as individuals to form this wonderful country.