3 Reasons I Love My Homeland, America

I voted by email yesterday; my husband did not.  Despite the fact that he knows the Pledge of Allegiance and recited it every day in school, can pronounce “th” and “w” without a hitch, and fires up the grill on the 4th of July, he isn’t a US citizen.  I didn’t vote just for me.  I voted for us.  

For American readers, why did you vote?  Do you feel the spirit?  I voted because we love my home country, even if we’re not there right now.  I voted because:

  1. I love America for its peaceful democracy at work
  2. I love America for feeling like I can vote for whomever I wish without political pressure
  3. I love America for the lemonade, the BBQs, the wide open spaces, and all the joy that comes from the opportunities to enjoy these things and life

These opportunities are more important than paint colors on our walls.  They’re more important than which chop saw we picked.  Because without these things in the US or Germany, Making This Home would be the least of any of our worries.

I know it’s old news, but I wasn’t blogging then, and I thought I’d share a few pictures of the day Obama visited Berlin this summer.  We didn’t expect to see a presidential candidate here.  I think a lot of us could say that about Obama in our communities.  Here he is speaking under the Victory Tower:

Trust me.  Obama’s there!

And here’s everyone behind us.  The 200,000+ crowd stretched to the Brandenburg Gate.  It was beautiful.  There were American exapts and tourists all around us.

People from Victory Tower to Brandenburg Gate

Hope your Wednesday is a wonderful one!

 

p.s.  Never did see if the German Starbucks would give me a free coffee yesterday.

(photographs by Martin Clemons for Making This Home)