Dear country,
I remember when we first met, 244 years ago now. We were starry-eyed and full of lofty dreams that we shared—dreams of a beautiful, adventurous life, free and happy. We had long, deep talks about how we would respect each other and give each other space and support each other even when we disagreed.
We were quite happy for some time, until one major, important disagreement over one enormous evil almost tore us apart. In fact, it did for a while. We separated and fought, and we almost divorced. Many tears were shed and scars were ripped into our fragile skin. But after five long years, we slowly began to move toward reconciliation. While we were far from perfect, we were trying. And over the coming years, we faced every high and low together—devastating wars, a massive depression, and a looming threat that, thankfully, never panned out. Then one day we experienced a massive attack right in our own backyard. We banded together, we lifted each other up, and we wiped away each other’s tears. We were heroes for each other, and in that, we were able to bring healing.
Now, somehow, we’ve drifted away from each other. We’ve neglected the garden of our relationship. We don’t work at respecting each other’s differences or encouraging each other. Instead, we spend a lot of time finding fault with each other and hurting each other. And after all the threats we’ve faced, the trials we’ve gone through together, the joys we’ve experienced, the life we’ve shared, somehow this threat feels real. Like it might actually break us.
So today, I’d like to put in a word for us. We are worth fighting for, not against. We are worth doing the hard work of mutual respect, forgiveness, and understanding, and coming back to the love we once enjoyed. Here’s to a happy anniversary, America.