Loving America

My sister had this little game when I was young.  She would ask, “How much do you love me?” That was my signal to hug her. She replied, “Is that all you love me?”  We repeated the process a few times until I really gave it to her.  She then exclaimed, “Wow, you must love me a lot!  

Here is a question for you: “How much do you love America?”

During the recent Olympics, many from other countries were amazed that America wasn’t perfect. If you talked to a visitor from a socialist/communist country, however, they would see many benefits of the U.S.A.

Aren’t most people you love imperfect?  Others let us down, but we don’t give up on them.  I have often thought all American young people should be required to serve in the military, or volunteer in a third-world or socialist nation.  It might help them appreciate what they have back home.  Instead, their professors teach them the advantages of socialism/communism.  They go by what they hear in class, but don’t do independent studies on the topic.  Citizens from former communist or socialist countries generally view the United States as a symbol of economic opportunity and personal freedom.  They love what they see regardless of what they hear back home.

Like a best friend, America has its imperfections.  If you focus on America’s imperfections, you will probably move to Canada and eventually see their imperfections.  This doesn’t mean we sit back and ignore the country’s challenges, nor forget to see the positives.  I don’t like to be around constant complainers.  I have this advice printed on my personal trading card: “Surround yourself with good friends, people who believe in you, and serve as positive role models.”

What do I love about America from the perspective of my Pilgrim ancestors, and those who came later? It stands for…

·         Freedom.  My 10th-generation grandparents came to the USA via the Mayflower in 1620.  They were persecuted in Great Britain because they wanted to separate from the official church. They did not experience much religious persecution in Holland, but they wanted a new environment where they could raise their children in a distinct British and Separatist culture. We enjoy more freedoms in this country than any other nation.  Many Americans forget that freedom is expensive.  Many are far removed from the bloodshed that we have endured to keep freedom.  Col. Joshua Chamberlain, at the Battle of Gettysburg, spoke about this freedom to a group of soldiers who wanted to leave and go home:                    

            Opportunity to become what we strive to be.  This idea is expressed through the following definition: 

“While entrepreneurship focuses specifically on the physical act of launching, operating, and scaling a business entity, entrepreneurialism often refers to the broader cultural, strategic, or personal philosophy of thinking and problem-solving like an innovator.”

·         Openness to all peoples.  America hasn’t been perfect at this when you consider slavery and discrimination at times toward different cultural groups, like Japanese Americans during WWII, or Irish immigrants, as well as others.  For the most part, people find an openness that helps them adjust to the American culture, whatever that is.

·         Its loyalty to its institutions, rather than a dynasty.  Colonists rebelled against the dynasty of the notion of the Divine Right of Kings.  They wanted laws that instituted their rights and privileges, not some monarch who inherited power because he or she was born into a certain family.

·         Restlessness and not settling for what is.  I’m convinced contentment is not an American word. We are not a content people.  We want more and better, especially for our children.

·         Everything is possible if we don’t succumb to a victimhood mentality.  America is not perfect, but it remains the place to have your best chance at everything.                                    

I               I close with this quote from Henry Grunwald in TIME magazine:

     "One loves America for its accomplishments as well as for its unfinished business—and especially for its knowledge that its business is indeed unfinished.  One should never love     America uncritically, because it is not worthy of  America to be accepted uncritically; the insistence on improving the U.S. is perhaps the deepest gift of love.  One ultimately loves      America not for what it is, or what it does, but for what it promises.  True, we know that every national promise sooner or later fades and that cannot be forever dominated or outmaneuvered.  But we must deeply believe, and we must prove, that the [250] years the American promise is still only in its beginning.”    

TIME Magazine, Monday, July 05, 1976

To read the full article, use this link:

https://time.com/archive/6850783/time-essay-loving-america/

 

 

 

  

What To Do With 9/11

 Nearly 25 years ago, I took a trip I didn't want to take.  However, I was convinced to go, and it had one of the biggest impacts of my life.  

I am a law enforcement chaplain, and I started my day by turning on the TV morning show.  That was my first glimpse of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in NYC on fire, sending out billows of smoke.  I thought, "What could have happened?  A mechanical failure?"  I would find out soon when I saw the second plane hit the South Tower.  We were under attack!  I woke my son to confirm what I was thinking.  

My thoughts went quickly to our officers, so I made my way to the police department. Flags were in every patrol car window.  I talked to a number of our employees.  I felt restless, like I should be doing something to assist with what was going on back East.  My first duty was to my home department.

Eventually, five chaplains from our group, including police and fire, went to New York the first week of December. (I'm on the far left in the red shirt.)                              

I have many stories to share, but  I refer you to my book, *SENT TO SERVE...THE CHAPLAINS OF 9/11.  It's a book about chaplains and what they do every day in your community, promoting a spirit of volunteerism and a message of hope.  If you like visuals, it has pictures!

It was a privilege to assist in NYC.  Check out this video on our local CBS affiliate about my time there. 

Many struggle with how to commemorate 9/11.  Perhaps that includes you.  While serving in NYC, I saw a poster on a bulletin board at a police precinct.  The NYPD was hosting a blood drive in honor of fallen officers.  When I returned to Oregon, I thought, "We should have such a drive at our department."  This coming 9/11 will be our 16th consecutive year! We say, "Give blood to honor those who gave their lives."  I spoke with a young mom.  She said, "I've never known what to do with 9/11.  This drive gives me purpose and context to remember this day."

I hope you find something to do this Patriot Day.  Perhaps volunteering or serving others.  Maybe pay it forward to a stranger or someone in your own family.  Each 9/11 from now on, you'll know what to do with 9/11.

*My book, SENT TO SERVE ... THE CHAPLAINS OF 9/11, is available on Amazon.

 

THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT

 It's amazing what one finds while searching through their family tree.  I got an early start when I was in high school.  I like history, and genealogy is similar to detective work.  Perhaps your family experienced a more recent emigration to the United States.  

During the 250th birthday year of the United States, many are taking up the challenge of family exploration for the first time.  If one's immigrant ancestor arrived early, there was a likelihood one would be related to a founding father or mother.  Many of my family immigrated early to America, so I have discovered many surprises.  For example, my 10th-generation great-grandparents came over on the Mayflower in 1620.  Before you think that's special, there are probably at least 30 million Americans related to at least one of those Pilgrims, though many don't know it.  Two fell overboard.  My cousin drowned. One was recovered alive.  Because he escaped from death, we have had two Presidents Bush.

The Mayflower voyage is significant for several reasons (Thanksgiving dinner, etc.), but of great importance was the Mayflower Compact that the men signed before they landed in what would be Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Compact outlined Self-government and the rule of law. This became the first working governmental document in North America, a forerunner to the later U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution. 

I'm not fond of water, especially large bodies of H20.  The scientific name is aquaphobia, or fear of bodies of water.  For medical reasons, I have to avoid water in my nose.  I could explain why, but trust me, you don't have the time!  If I were with my Pilgrim ancestors and their friends, and someone asked, "Who would be willing to go to the New World?" my hand wouldn't shoot up.

There were 37 Separatists (people who wanted to separate from the Church of England) on the Mayflower, along with the ship crew and non-Separatists, for a total of 102.  Half would die that first winter, including my 10th Great Grandfather, William White.  Imagine the stories each could tell!  They endured hardships to find a place where they would be free to practice their faith and way of life.

America is full of such stories, both good and bad.  As a nation, we can learn so much and not repeat some of our earlier mistakes.  Remember, "Those who forget their past are doomed to repeat it."  "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." by Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana. It's hard to remember our past if we aren't aware of it.  That is the challenge of the education of our youth.  They can't remember the past because they haven't been properly taught it.  The core meaning remains the same: a society or individual that fails to retain the memory of past mistakes and their consequences is likely to repeat those same catastrophic mistakes over again. If we don't know history, we will forget the lessons of socialism and communism.  That is an easy trap for our young who want a cause to be sucked into.

The Mayflower experiment was not a perfect example, nor were our founders.  After 50 years of relative peace, the colony and Native Americans engaged in King Phillip's War. The Indians lost, which set up the impetus for further incursion into Native lands. Slavery started long before the Pilgrims, with the Spanish in 1526.  The British would follow suit by bringing 20 slaves to Virginia in 1619.  It seems no one's hands were free of guilt.  Some tribes in Africa would sell blacks from other tribes to white slave traders.

One reason for such division with other peoples was that they didn't bother to know each other's story.  Stories build connections. When you don't know another's story, conflicts and misunderstandings grow.  It is important to know each other's story.

During this quincentennial anniversary of America, let us pause and hear the stories around us so our differences become our strengths.

The Disneyland Effect

 

Looking for America 250

We just got back from a family vacation to Disneyland.  By "we," I'm talking about our son and daughter-in-law, and their two kids.  They wanted the kids to experience having their MeMaw and BePaw share the experience with them.  Did we ever share the experience with them?  It was quite a push for our bodies to cooperate (after all, I'm old enough to have had coffee with Walt Disney himself!).

I noticed something about the crowd walking around the place.  Most were friendly and seemed to go out of their way to be nice, as you would expect at the happiest place on earth. Amid all this goodwill, I had a surprise.  C.S. Lewis wrote SURPRISED BY JOY.  I was surprised by grief.  As we were going through the line at Flight Across California, I was telling some interesting facts about the photos displaying the history of aviation.  I asked them to look for a photo of the world's largest wooden plane, the Spruce Goose. My dear friend, Dr. Lloyd Mitchell, was on the team that engineered the hydraulic system for the massive plane. Sure enough, we found it.  I also saw a biplane and explained how my dad flew in one of those early contraptions.  As a boy, he had a deal with a local biplane pilot.  For every 10 paying customers he got to ride in the plane, he would be given a free ride.

Then it hit me.  I felt this sudden surge of grief.  I could feel it coming, but could not stop it.  I tried to fight the tears because of frequent nosebleeds.  The tears won.  I used all I had to stop the grief of my father and eventually made it to the ride.  I thought that was behind me, but as we left, the grief came back in a fury.  There was no stopping the flood as I moved ahead of my family and turned my back on the crowd.  That is when this late middle-aged woman came up to me.  

"Are you going to be all right?" she asked with such concern in her eyes.

"That last ride triggered this deep hurt of grief," I replied. 

By that time, my family realized something was happening and moved in to help.  The woman faded away.  I wish I could see her again to thank her for her compassion.

Why did people care so much for each other at Disneyland?  It was an artificially controlled environment.  Everyone was there to have safe fun.  You could leave a stroller or wheelchair parked with your belongings in it as you went on a ride.  

I lived in a similar environment in New York City following the terrorist attack in 2001.  I was a recovery worker (see footnote). That attack brought people together like a caring family.  The unimportant, small things didn't matter.  Caring for each other did.  It is no surprise that I felt culture shock when returning home near Portland, OR.  People were still more involved in their own world than in caring about Americans on the other side of the country.  Soon, the waving flags would disappear, and it would be business as usual.

Does it have to take tragedy to bring people together?  Perhaps if we make an effort to care for those around us, we could make this country and world a better place.  The truth is that we need to embrace the Prince of Peace.  He is the Prince of lasting peace.  In the Bible, the Book of St. John, chapter 14, verse 27, Jesus said:

        "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid."  (John 14:27 NLT).

And...

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:24-35 NLT).

Are you searching for a better America?  

I encourage you to invite the Prince of Peace into your heart and life.

  

*Learn more about my experience by reading my book, "Sent to Serve...The Chaplains of 9/11"

THE POWER OF SYMBOLS

When someone in the US is learning to drive, they must memorize traffic signs and learn the mechanics of driving.  The symbols on those signs are very important.  If one doesn’t follow them, they may cause an accident and end up in a serious predicament (like the man who didn’t obey the “Road Closed” sign and drove into a foot of fresh cement on an off-ramp). and even receive a heavy fine from a law enforcement officer.

What would happen if road symbols were suddenly changed and drivers didn’t know what they meant?  You might end up in chaos.

Sometimes people or groups steal symbols.  One example is the rainbow:

Many recognize it as the symbol of the LGBTQ+ movement.  Guess where they got it from?  For Christians, the origin is taken from the Bible as: 

A Sign of Peace showing that God would never again flood the earth.

A Reminder for God and Humanity: The text states, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." [Genesis 9:13]. It acts as a visible, physical reminder of God's faithfulness to His creation. For me, when I see a rainbow, I’m thankful.  I am thankful for God’s goodness, grace, and mercy that He has shown me.

Below is another symbol that hasn’t been stolen, but misinterpreted:

The Thin Blue Line flag is a symbol of pride and honor. It originated in the United Kingdom.  It is to commemorate fallen law enforcement officers and symbolize the relationship between law enforcement and the community.  The black stripes are a constant reminder of the fallen brother and sister officers. The blue line in the center represents the officer and their courage.  The black stripe immediately above the blue line represents the public. The line just under the blue line represents crime.  The blue line stands between the two black lines, a metaphor for standing between the public, protecting them from crime and danger.

Different thin line flags represent others who serve us, including fire, EMS, forestry, dispatch, etc.

The thin blue line flag is a noble cause and symbol.  The current narrative claims this as a racist symbol to SOME.  The SOME are saying to this flag, “We know better than you what you stand for.”  Really?

In the U.S., we believe in the freedom of expression only if it fits the current narrative.  I live in the Portland, Oregon area.  It is considered a very liberal city (ex. “Keep Portland Weird”).  We had a small decal on a car window, showing support for fallen officers.  My wife parked in a public lot.  When she got home, I noticed the decal had been hit with something, and the window had shattered.  We can’t support officers who have died in the line of duty!  A Sheriff’s Deputy told me, “You probably shouldn’t fly your Thin Blue Line flag at home.  It may not be safe.”  This is America, right?

In many ways, symbols have become confusing because people look at them subjectively and decide what they want them to mean.  Check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0QvUwxndzs&t=253s. 

In the movie “What About Bob?”, starring Richard Dreyfus (Dr. Leo Marvin) and Bill Murray (Bob), Dreyfus is a psychiatrist, and Murray is a mental health client.  Dr. Marvin drops Bob off at a mental health facility, but his college calls him back to say there is nothing clinically wrong with him.  Bob is found in the library telling the staff this story: 

“There was this Doc who was showing a patient various Rorschach ink blots.  He asked, ‘What do you see? Patient says, “Sex.”  How about this one? “Sex.”  Okay, what about this one?  “Sex.” The Doctor says, “Sex, sex, sex.  Your problem is sex!  Client replies, “You are the one with the problem.  You have the dirty pictures.”

Why are symbols important?  They identify a group or movement.  It’s a way for people to express themselves.  Freedom of expression is vital to the rights of all Americans.  Let’s let others have their interpretation of their own symbols of expression, as long as they let others do the same and don’t resort to violence. We may not agree with them, but we should respect their right to other ideas and beliefs.  That is the American way.

THE FOUNDERS' FEET OF CLAY

Many of our words and phrases today come from our history, including the Bible.  “Feet of clay” is one such example. In the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar (AD 600) dreams of a magnificent statue with a head of gold, a chest of silver, and legs of iron, but its feet are made of a fragile mix of iron and clay. Because the base is weak, the entire statue is easily smashed. The only one who could tell the king the meaning of the dream was Daniel, God’s prophet.  He was telling the king that his kingdom would someday topple.  Over time, the phrase evolved to describe an idolized figure (like a leader, celebrity, or hero) whose hidden flaws are eventually exposed, causing their respected image to topple. (See Below)

In the same sense, the founders of the United States had clay feet.  They were imperfect, petty, and difficult.  Kind of like us today.  Want an example?  Tomas Jefferson, the main architect of the Declaration of Independence, wrote, “All men are created equal.”  I guess some men are more equal than others.  Jefferson owned slaves until his death on July 4^th, 1826.  How can a man who opposed slavery on principle make such a statement while continuing his participation in it?

“Virtually all the Founding Fathers went to their graves realizing that slavery, no matter how intractable, would become the largest and most permanent stain on their legacy. And when Abraham Lincoln eventually made the decision that, at terrible cost, ended slavery forever, he did so in the name of the Founders.” (History News Network, December 17, 2007) 

Yet another example of our clay feet: I was riding with a friend in his car as he turned into a store's parking lot.  “You have to be careful when driving in here.  Some people dash across lanes,” he remarked.  Within seconds, he was dashing across lanes.  I learned where the phrase “white-knuckling” came from! One thing consistent about us is our inconsistency.

Though our Founding Fathers disagreed, they were able to come together to form America.  What can we do to honor them?  We should guard our foundation.  The Nebuchadnezzar statue looked mighty, but it only took smashing the weak feet, or foundation, to make it fall. What comprises America’s foundation?  Some claim that the United States was formed like Israel. Israel was ruled directly by God, what we call a theocracy.  America is a democratic republic, governed by the people through elected representatives.  Others claim that America was and is a Christian nation.  Christianity is not the official religion of America.  The Bill of Rights made sure religion was protected by the First Amendment, stating, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Though America is not a theocracy, its foundation was, in part, built on Christian principles.  Others believe our Founders were greatly influenced by Enlightenment thinking.  Not totally the case!

Some historians claim the overriding view of God by the Founders was Deism, that God created man and then stepped away without any help from Him.  If that is the definition of Deism, then none of the Founding Fathers were deists. For example, Ben Franklin called upon Congress to pray.  Here is part of his speech:

In this situation of this assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the father of lights to illuminate our understandings?  In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in the room for the divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously answered…or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance?... I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God governs in the affairs of men.” (See https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/evangelical-history/why-ben-franklin-called-for-prayer-at-the-constitutional-convention/).  

I can get quote after quote on this from the other leaders, but space and time do not permit.

WHAT, THEN, SHALL WE DO?…to see our foundation as a nation remains strong?  Abide by the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, despite our differences and our clay feet.  Remember our principles, greatly influenced by the Bible.

(Please interact with this material by clicking on the pencil below and leave a comment, and don't forget to share!  Thank you.)

 

LOOKING FOR AMERICA

 

We recently celebrated my wife’s __?__ birthday in April.  She used to celebrate a normal birthday.  But thanks to her friend, who put a bug in her ear.  “We celebrate my birth MONTH!” You guessed it: we now celebrate my wife’s Birth Month annually. That makes things more costly.  I’m retired, but now I’m thinking of taking a part-time job to pay for the added celebration. Some things are worth celebrating, especially when they are 250 years old.          

I would especially like to have you, our readers, contribute to this 250^th Birthday of America.  Do you have someone in your family, ancestry, or a friend who contributed to making America great?  Maybe you have an interesting family story. Then please share that in the “Connect” box in the upper right of the home page.  Please try to keep the word count to 700.  Your contact information will be kept confidential.

From now through July 4th, each weekend, I’ll be sharing some tidbits of American history and culture. I believe you will find them entertaining and educational.

 

I know this dates me, but I remember the Bicentennial of America. (Yes, I was born in the  1900’s.) My wife made us colonial period costumes that we wore in a July 4^th  parade and church.  There was a covered wagon that crossed America, and a now-defunct restaurant gave out wooden coins that offered free coffee (see photo).  

Below is a picture of the 200^th birthday issue of Time magazine that I kept:

How does one “find” America? Obviously, we must look at our past, but also the present, and consider the future. It’s interesting and frightening that immigrants today who want to become American citizens know more about our history than our current citizens.  A course that all high school students took at one time was Civics.  It taught us about our country and how to be good citizens.  Today, you would be hard-pressed to find any school, especially a public school, that has such a course.  Our young people are worse off for it.  The famed actor, Richard Dreyfuss, has an initiative to bring back Civics to schools.  He said, “Teach our kids how to run our country, before they are called upon to run our country…if we don’t, someone else will run our country.”  I guess you can say, “A good citizen is an informed citizen.”  Many of our public schools are cranking out uninformed citizens.  Put “students can’t answer simple questions” in your YouTube search.  Be ready to laugh and cry.

Okay, people, let’s get informed. We’ll continue to learn about our country and the people who made America great in the weeks to come.