Emma Lazarus, a Jewish American poet wrote these words placed at the feet of the Statue of Liberty:

The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma got it...but do we? Today is July 1st and of course everyone is gearing up for the July 4th Holiday: our annual celebration of Independence as a nation, and this "grand experiment of a land governed by the people". As much as I am thankful and proud to be an American, I am also a very disappointed patriot-citizen.

Why, disappointed? America seems to be fragmenting and disintegrating into something I don't recognize and frankly, that scares me. We are pompous, spoiled, proud and unyielding in so many ways (I'm part of that "we" by the way!)...how did we get that way in just a couple of short hundred years? When did we become so threatened by those who want to join us from other nations, when did we get so belligerent and stiff-necked about our unalienable rights...so convinced we are the center of everyone else's universe? How do we turn that tide, do we want to, and can we...should that even be our collective desire?

Apparently, we think we have "arrived": we have MORE than we could ever have hoped for in years past. Having MORE has only seemed to hurt us...more time, more things, more money, more choices...we have all this, and it has surely opened us to more selfishness and greater apathy toward those who "have not". Every great civilization has died when it becomes so "successful" that it starts to decline for lack of attention to the poor; to the aliens; to growth and setting new goals that stretch it's people. I think that is us.

In the midst of my discouragement about us, I am still encouraged about many things. We do expose our own mistakes and mischief. We do let that happen. We do TRY to help others outside our borders, and we do "spar" about things that are important to us and keep trying...all good things.

Freedom is so hard, and with it comes certain boundaries that have to flex base on the times and events. Can this grand experiment continue? I hope so! I hope this is one of those "seasons" in our history that is purposeful in the following ways:

• gives us a reality check and "wakes us up"
• helps us to think, and make hard decisions, about our citizenship
• provides us with resolve to talk, argue, make-up and decide to be what are founding fathers envisioned (but applied to the 21st century)
• humbles us enough that we can turn things around and change
• encourages us to become more of a partner with the world; to be gracious servant-leaders and not wreckless, aggressive bullies

Celebrate 4th of July this week? I certainly will, but I also will hope and pray for significant change for all us that live here in America,

A Disappointed Patriot, that still has hope,

S :-)