For those of you who don't know, the hubs came here as a sophomore in high school for a one year stay as a foreign exchange student. His host family was kind enough to agree to sponsor him to stay longer. This turned into finishing his high school studies here, staying on for college, meeting the most wonderful, kind, loving woman in the world me and sticking around for good.
If you don't know the process, it can be long and tedious. I won't bore you with the details - just know that it's something that he started before we met. He got his green card just prior to our engagement in September of 2000 and went through the naturalization process from there. Fully becoming a citizen yesterday.
Those of us who were born here take many things for granted. We freely talk about how messed up our government is and what it should do differently. We get into heated debates with others who don't share our political viewpoints, without fear of punishment. Our military is not a mandatory organization in which armed men show up at the doors to take our sons, fathers, brothers, etc. into service. We can choose to worship (or not) whatever deity in whatever form we want and have no repercussions. And, most importantly every citizen over the age of 18 has the right to vote, whether they choose to or not, for whichever individual they feel is best for the job.
Yesterday, the hubs stood with a group of people from 23 countries - from all continents (except Antarctica, we're not letting the penguins immigrate) - and swore allegiance to the U.S.A. I posted on my facebook that he'd finally accomplished this. My friend, Audreya, joked that she was sending him a virtual serenade consisting of "The Star Spangled Banner," "Proud to be an American" and "God Bless America". This was fitting because looking over the program, these songs were played to the new citizens, as well as a welcome video from the President.
To me, and my odd patriotic ways, the timing couldn't have been better. We go into this weekend celebrating our country. It stands as a beacon to the rest of the world for freedom and democracy. For free enterprise and individuality. Hundreds of thousands have flocked to our shores because they believed in the greatness of this nation and the opportunity it had to offer. Another vast group of people - many of whom are/were immigrants, or their descendants - risked (and in many cases gave) their lives to preserve these freedoms that so many of us take for granted. Let us not forget that. Let us not forget them, or the blood, sweat and tears so many of them poored into making this country what it is.
This Independence Day - remember the meaning behind even the very name of the holiday... freedom from tyranny. The freedom that we take for granted here, regardless of what some pundints in the media will make you believe, is still sought after in many places around the world - and was gained by a roomful of people from 23 nations yesterday.
<--Me & The Hubs with the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, PA. January, 2009.
