Remembering Our Roots…
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-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
On this the 234th anniversary of our boldly declaring our independence from England, I think it is important to spend a few moments remembering our roots and examine what actually makes these United States of America so incredibly amazing.
What I believe makes this land so remarkable is its rich diversity.
My ancestors immigrated here from the Netherlands and Germany leaving their motherlands for far and distant shores seeking freedom and a chance at a new life exactly as the founders of this great land did.
Sadly, a growing faction believes that we should close the golden door to those who seek to go through it in the search of freedom and an opportunity at a new life.