“God Bless the USA!” Lee Greenwood belted into the speakers of the Palm Beach Convention Center as my head was spinning. The room was alive with the thunderous cheers of thousands of jubilant voices.
The words to that powerful song hit a bit differently that night. “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died that gave that right to me. And I’ll gladly stand up, next to you, and defend her still today. There ain’t a doubt, I love this land! God bless the USA.”
The American Experiment is alive and well. I saw it in the faces of the veterans in the room, I heard it in the cheers of the young people and I felt it in the smiles of everyone around me.
Donald J. Trump, 45th, and now soon-to-be 47th president of the United States of America came up to the podium. As the music died down, he spoke a small word of thank you before the room erupted into chants of “USA! USA! USA!”
I got butterflies in my stomach as I witnessed this tremendous enthusiasm for our great country.
Whether you love Trump or absolutely despise him, you have to admit that his patriotism is unmatched, and that is a beautiful thing.
When the roar of the crowd quieted enough for him to talk, Mr. Trump delivered his victory speech at the Palm Beach Election Party, now Victory Party.
“I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president. And every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and for your future. Every single day, I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe, and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America. That's what we have to have.”
That is a big and powerful promise! It made me feel like a child, being assured of my father’s protection. Listening to him, I was reminded of all of the rhetoric that was used against him. He was made out to be a monster, a dictator, an oppressor of women, along with countless other things. But whether we love him or hate him, he is going to be our next president. And in the spirit of American unity, I want to extend the invitation to lay down your biases.
Trump served our country for 4 years already without becoming a dictator. The beautiful thing about our country is that the checks and balances that our Founding Fathers used to build our governing system are to keep a president from doing so.
Yes, the President of the United States of America is arguably the most powerful person in this world, but he certainly isn’t all-powerful. Donald Trump is quite the character, with a very colorful background. Is he a sinner? Heck yeah. But so am I, and so is every citizen who cast a vote in this past election cycle.
All that is left for us to do is to pray for our beautiful country, which is something that many of us do regardless of who is in office! But I don’t want to talk about Trump anymore, because that wasn’t the highlight of my trip anyway.
My experience down in Palm Beach was fascinating. Getting out of my comfort zone allowed me to see the faces of America in a fresh way.
We had a beautiful conversation with an AP News bodyguard who, upon finding out we were Minnesotans, gushed about visiting the George Floyd Memorial on a recent trip to Minneapolis.
We had an enjoyable visit with a woman who talked about her home country of Jamaica. Since moving to Florida, she now has the luxury of flying back to visit her family and tour the places she was never able to visit growing up.
We talked to a sweet little lady about losing her corporate job, her nasty divorce, and the challenges she is now experiencing.
Adam did a TV interview with someone from a Japanese news station.
I did a TV interview on a Swiss news station. The news outlets from other countries were really refreshing in their genuine interest and non-partisans in their view of the election.
We joked around with an armed sheriff who shared his experiences of protecting Mr. Trump.
We met a Catholic student getting his PhD at Palm Beach Atlantic University on a street corner, who had just gotten back from Rome. He had spent 5 weeks there covering the Synod! Because we stopped to talk to him for so long about what the synod looks like in our own dioceses, we witnessed the motorcade that escorted Trump to his polling precinct.
We had long conversations with well-known politicians.
We talked to the founder of youtheory, the company that first brought collagen to the market. (If you have a Costco membership, you know what I’m talking about!) He regaled us with stories of globetrotting to find the perfect ingredients for his products.
We met a couple that owned a marina… as a hobby!
We talked about how dangerous the streets of Haiti are with a funny young Haitian immigrant.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because it paints a picture of how diverse our beautiful country is! We chummed it up with some very impressive people by the world’s standards, and we listened to the hearts of people who experienced poverty like we couldn’t even imagine.
I will be forever changed because of every person I met this past week. I know that many of the people we visited with didn’t vote the same way that I voted. I know that many of those that voted for the same candidate that I voted for, did so for very different reasons. I also know that all of them were proud of their American identity.
The immigrants who left their families to start a better life here were so joyful to be given the opportunity to come to the United States and be given fair wages and decent housing.
The well-to-do folks were fascinating to talk to as well because they were nothing like the picture I had painted of them. They gushed about their grandkids, they shared about their faith in God and joked about everyday things.
Sometimes I can get so caught up in my daily life here in Central, MN, that I forget how diverse and incredible our huge country is. The issues that we face here are not the same issues that others experience in different parts of the country. The struggles we face here are not the same struggles others face and vice versa.
Each region of our country, each state, each county, each community and each family all have their own unique story to tell. Are we taking the time to listen to the untold stories? Or are we too busy buying into the fear-mongering from both major political parties in our country?
Our only hope is in Jesus Christ. We can pray that our political leaders will lead us closer to having a society where the dignity of all is upheld, but we know that none of them will ever be perfect. Whether you are celebrating a political victory, or are heartbroken and scared of what is to come, join me in a prayer for our country.
Dear Lord, thank you for this great nation that we call our home. The United States of America has been a sign of hope for so many. Please protect our country and guide the hearts of those in leadership. Help them to govern peacefully, with a true love for the people under their charge. We ask that you give them the wisdom to see the dignity of each human person, from conception to natural death, and the tenacity to fight for this basic right. We thank you for your many gifts and blessings.
We praise You, we bless You, and we adore You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the United States of America, pray for us!
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Leah
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