I am an unashamed lover of my country, the United States of America. From my teenage years, I have wanted to serve my country and make life in America better for myself and for the next generation....ver másI am an unashamed lover of my country, the United States of America. From my teenage years, I have wanted to serve my country and make life in America better for myself and for the next generation. Life, as they say, got in the way, and what I thought might be a life in the military or in politics or even in religion became forty years of marriage, earning a living, raising children, and keeping busy. I have loved it, and thank God for my life. I worked as an automobile and truck technician, started and managed three repair shops, and I went to many school activities.
Forty years later, I am still happily married with seven grandchildren, and I teach diesel technology in a community college. My desire to serve my nation has morphed into a message that I believe should be considered by all Americans. I want to say something to America, all of America.
The message is be careful. Our nation is being tested by the freedoms we embrace. Freedom to choose can become freedom to rewrite our American way of life in unhealthy ways.
Personal signifi cance and the growth into greatness is a path our forbearers wanted for every citizen of America. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is a goal to which each generation of Americans must aspire. This worthy goal has not been reached by most nations now or in the past. Likewise, not every generation in America has lived up to the responsibilities of liberty and justice for all. Now time has given to me and you our turn at the controls of our individual lives and our united life.
Can we govern ourselves rightly? We will observe the signifi cance of each other and gain the greatness that is ours to grasp. Will I help my neighbor and will he help me? Can I feel good about myself, my family, my work, and my community? How will my freedom build a better place for the next generation?
I challenge myself and every American to aspire to greatness. Greatness is for everyone! I believe that; this is our God-given ambition. Four traits of greatness are not steps of selfhelp; rather, these traits are the headlights pointing us into our future.ver menos