There’s a phrase that’s stuck in my mind ever since the day I had the enormous (and effortless) good fortune to become an American citizen. Seventeen years ago, the judge who swore in a couple of hundred of us as new citizens told us to pursue our dreams, and to get involved in our communities. Then, she said: “America is not a perfect country. But it is a great land.”
Summer of Love
These days, it’s all too easy to bewail what makes America less than a perfect country. Given the emotional, verbal and physical abuse inflicted by those currently in power on innocents and so many other decent people and institutions, it’s been tempting to look for a way out (yes, those cottages for sale in the English countryside sure look inviting!) But sometimes — especially on anniversaries like July 4th, or for example, August 31 (my anniversary of citizenship)– I feel I should remind myself of what made me fall in love with this great land in the first place. Continue reading “Happy Birthday, America The (Not Always) Beautiful”