"The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus

I get tired of hearing so many bad things about our country and decided to share this poem by Emma Lazarus.


"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!"

Signs of Patriotism

As I ran around my little part of the country this weekend, I saw signs of patriotism. So many people appreciate the freedom we have, and it shows.

Concerts and parades were scheduled to celebrate the Fourth of July and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Fireworks have gone off every night for days. Americans still love the USA!

Enjoy these pictures of our American Spirit!


Even the sunset seemed to show a little American pride.

Wake Up, USA!

Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, is hitting the road in 2016. In the next ten months he'll visit all fifty states in his Decision America Tour 2016.

He says, "I’m going to every state in our country to challenge Christians to live out their faith at home, in public and at the ballot box—and I will share the Gospel."

There won't be any politicians speaking. There will be music, a message and prayer. He will encourage us to wake up and get involved. Get involved at every level from school boards to voting for our next president. We can make a difference, but we've got to do something. I think we need to start by praying four our country.

If you'd like to learn more about Decision America Tour 2016, here's the link: https://decisionamericatour.com/about/

Wake up America and pray!

Discoveries

Do you ever surprise yourself? For years I thought I'd like to go to Paris. It's been an underlying desire that never made it to the top of my priority list. My life is good, and if I never make it to Paris it won't be the end of the world. There are so many places in the USA that I love to visit. Boston, Savannah, and Charleston, SC are a few of my favorite places. On a recent trip to Mobile, I enjoyed walking through downtown and looking at the old homes. This started me thinking. Not always a good thing. A friend of ours recently returned from Europe, and I loved looking at his pictures. If I did go to Paris, what would I want to do? I love art and want to see the museums. But as I looked at Tom's pictures I loved seeing the different architectural styles. I enjoy seeing old buildings and homes. When I've visited Boston, Savannah, Charleston, and Mobile, I've enjoyed walking around and studying the homes. Each area has a different style, but they are all beautiful cities. So whenever I go on vacation in the future, I want to take time to roam the city streets and learn what makes the city unique.

Frist flag picture of the season

I love this house. It's located on a North Carolina beach and it screams to me, "I love this place, and I'm ready for some summer fun.
                                                                     God bless the USA!

Small town USA

Over the weekend we drove to Richmond, Indiana to watch Asbury University play tennis. We traveled the back roads of Indiana and discovered some beautiful sights. I didn't realize there were so many lakes in Indiana. We drove through a lot of flat farm land and saw small town America. We stopped at a McDonalds and it was packed. While standing in line I observed people talking from one table to the next.
The American flag was displayed at many of the homes we drove past. So I'm going to try and show my patriotic spirit on this blog and show a flag a week.
In case you're curious, Asbury won the conference and for the first time in college history the team is going to Nationals. (Back in the day and individual play was picked to go to Nationals, but now teams go.)

                                                 Asbury University 2012 Men's Tennis Team