Dear America

Dear America,
I am thankful for the the beautiful golden fields dancing in the wind of the Great Plains.
I am thankful for the thick forest that has given me a sense of both peace and adventure concurrently throughout my life.
I am thankful for the calming sound of waves crashing on a Carolina beach, and for the unforgettable sight of the sun slowly sinking into the Atlantic.
I am thankful for the vast American Desert, with it's alluring rock formations that called out to me as I dreamed of climbing them as a child.
I am thankful for the majestic mountains of Colorado, and the hills of California.
I am thankful for the memories made in a cool Oklahoma creek on a hot summer day.
I am thankful for your wide open Montana landscapes; and for your city streets, full of culture and history.
For the immigrants who built this country with nothing but a prayer and a dream, and for the natives who kept their honor through all affliction.
I am thankful for the founding fathers and for all the work they did to make this country what it is today.
I am thankful for the Constitution.
I am thankful for the freedom I cherish so much.
For the blood, the sweat, the tears, that it took to make this nation great.
For the farmer who toils from sun-up to sun-down, putting his heart and soul into the land he works.
For the construction worker, steel worker, ranch hand, and every other working man who does the same.
I am thankful for the warriors, who risk life and limb, and worst of all the threat of being a pawn, to defend the land they love.
I am thankful for the teacher in the classroom and the knowledge that she contributes.
I am thankful for Ron Paul.
For the hope that there are more leaders like him who march forward without sinking into the pits of corruption.
I am thankful for the idea that families take care of each other;
And that communities do too.
I am thankful for the alternative media.
I am thankful for John Steinbeck;
And even for Ernest Hemingway.
I am thankful for Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes.
For American Literature in it's entirety, I am thankful.
I am thankful for the early settlers of this country from whom this holiday came, their wrongs do not go unrecognized, but without them it wouldn't be what it is today.
I am thankful for the ability to learn from our mistakes.
I am thankful for the wonderful history you have, full of adventure, culture, and wisdom.
I am thankful that I have the right and ability to present these thoughts to the public.
And I am thankful that I have the right to thank God for all of these things.
I am thankful for you America.

Happy Thanksgiving