Yesterday we celebrated the 4th of July and I spent time re-reading the Declaration of Independence. What a document! People with amazing ideals wanting a nation that reflected freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These folks came out of oppression and seized a new freedom (not however without taking the freedoms of others!). The dream of a nation where people can pursue their own dreams and ambitions, the dream of being able to worship their god, the dream of freedom from the overpowering power of the government. That was the idea!

But just like in every aspect of life, we mess things up! We are like a new parent, who has seen other parents and wants to do better, but in the end falls short of being perfect, so our nation is growing and messing things up and making corrections.

Yes, we have fallen short; we have trampled people in the process, have abused the rights of others and have made a mess of it, BUT, we are also one of the few nations in this world where we get to use our voice to express our opinions and to vote. Yes, I know, that too is not perfect!

But we are also enjoying the many blessings this country offers, here a just a few that I personally experienced.

I only have an 8th grade graduation from Germany and in Germany I had a 'trade'. Coming to America, I had opportunities to try new things, go back to school, work in many different jobs and was never treated as less. In Germany, some of my friends have been in the same workplace for 30+ years without ever having a hope to change.

When I came people asked me how a country like Germany could end up with someone like Hitler, my answer was and is the same: wait for the right climate and this can happen in any country. Our country is built on ideals and we all fall way short of them.

In America, I have the freedom to worship (while that was not a restriction in Germany, we did have systems set up that would encourage two Christian religions (Catholic and Lutheran). In America we have the freedom to worship whom and whatever we want too (even if it is money).

Germany has a lot of structures and ways of doing things and we had to work within systems. In the US I have freedom to explore, to grow, to learn, to try something new, to go from 'rags to riches'. In my case: I worked in the medical field, worked as a teacher, worked in a church, working in home supportive work, and now run a non-profit. This would never have happened in Germany.

As an immigrant I have a special insight into the US and things that many people take for granted are still an amazing blessings to me.

I do understand that we are not perfect, that our political systems do not always serve our communities, that there are many injustices that plague our country, that often the rich become richer and our systems are not equal to all, BUT we are still the country where we can speak up, vote, make a difference and even run for office!

You and I get to be part of making the America we want to see it become. We are in growing pains and there is much to learn, much to do, many injustices to address, but you and I get to be part of doing just that! We get to vote, engage, be on a commission, run for an office, be a good neighbor, volunteer, invest, distribute....... We ARE America!!!!