I tell people that I was born in this country out of pure luck. I did nothing to make that happen; my parents and their ancestors were, for the most part, here for over 150 years. I don’t know much about my family tree, but I do know that my mother’s father was an immigrant from Norway and her mother may have been the daughter of Irish immigrants. I never met either one, so that will always be a mystery. I grew up with a lot of privilege, in spite of being poor, and had a lot of advantages (white – male – heterosexual) which allowed me to attend a number of colleges and graduate schools, thanks largely to government aid. And sure, I worked very hard to achieve and afford what I have. Success is a combination of hard work, luck, outside help, and advantage.
I have read and listened to a lot of people who are not feeling much joy as we approach this momentous birthday. They see the ridiculous spectacles being produced by this administration and wonder about the cost, especially when so many people are suffering from the downturn in the economy. I get it. I admit that I have chuckled, sardonically, at the lack of attendance so far in D.C. It seems like it could have been a great experience; and maybe it still will be. We are a resilient lot; we can make much out of little. Whether we are the first of our family, or immigrants 2 or 3 or 10 generations removed, or whether our ancestors have walked this land for 1000 years; we live in an amazing place filled with opportunities and good people and important choices.
I remember the 200th birthday of America, and I know that a lot of people are basking in the false memory of people gathering without division and getting along so well. I remember that we were just out of the Viet Nam war – that our president had, for the first time ever, resigned in disgrace – that people all over America were fuming about Roe V. Wade – that interest rates were in the teens, and gas prices were through the roof. Things were horrible in America in 1976! And yet, we survived and thrived. We will survive and thrive now too. We have to remember that, regardless of our differences, we are stronger than we think. We have fought off bigotry in the past, and we will do it again. We have had hard financial times in the past, and we will recover. We are older, now – and, if we put our minds to it, we can be wiser too. Happy 250th Birthday, America – and many more to come.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for this place where all of Your people can worship You the way they choose. Amen. Today’s art is a poster by Livinia Goodell of America’s Centennial – celebrated in Philadelphia – just 11 years after the end of the Civil War. Let that sink in.