I came to the US 40 years ago. The land of opportunities, the land where I could start over after a difficult childhood, the land where doors were open to me. I came to the US not speaking the language, not understanding the culture, not knowing how my life would turn out. I was going to be here for 6 months, I traveled with a Christian Music Group (yes, I used to sing) and got to spent some time in Bluefield, West Virginia to learn English. While there I was in an accident that made travel to Germany impossible, so instead I came to California to take a class in Pasadena. I met Jim and, well, the rest of that is history 😊. We will be celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary next month.

When I first was in the US, people often asked me how a country like Germany end up with a tyrant like Adolph Hitler, and my answer then as it is today, "just wait, this can happen to any country when the conditions are right."
I love America and what it stands for, I love it for the opportunities it has given me, I love the friendliness of people and the overall curiosity that often drives Americans. I am thankful to live here, where I can pretty much have unlimited opportunities to make things happen. I love being here!

BUT, I am starting to see some things happened that scare me. There is a selfishness that has creeped into this country that has changed our worldview. There is an underlying anger that pops up so easily (just look at the last 4-5 years of riots, violent demonstrations etc). There are people trying to get into leadership not to serve the country but to serve themselves. There is a huge discrepancy in the way people live, some in homes that take maids to clean, while others live in places that should be condemned. There is a disregard for human life, from the youngest to the oldest. There is a lack of compassion and kindness. All this is a great starting point to end up a with a leader who does not serve the common people well. (And I am not talking about the future president, but leaders in general).

Germany learned the hard way how easily things can change. We, here in the US need to make sure that we learn from history, keep our eyes open to what is happening, and be the change we want to see.

As we celebrate the 4th of July, let us remember that is it easy to lose that freedom.