Blogging Buffet: I is for Independence

The theme of my A to Z Challenge posts this year is "Blogging Buffet." In celebration of recently posting my 1000th blog post, I am revisiting posts from the past. This post originally published on Saturday, July 5, 2014.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That excerpt from the Declaration of Independence has been on my mind this week. Those beautiful words set the course of this nation. I'm thankful for the courage of the members of the Continental Congress to pen and approve such a course-altering document.

I'm thankful that they had the wisdom to spell out the self-evident truths. While I recognize that history does not always support ideals, I am thankful that "all men are created equal." I'm thankful that everyone, including my own friends and family members, have equal rights, regardless of the color of their skin. I'm thankful to live in a "melting pot," and I'm thankful for the melting pot that is my family.

Photo: The head of the Statue of Liberty

I'm thankful that the Declaration also acknowledged a Creator, one who endowed his children with unalienable Rights. I'm thankful for those gifts of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

I'm thankful to feel personally connected to the history of this great nation. Many of my ancestors arrived on this continent before the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Several of my great (many times over) grandfathers were instrumental in shaping the way of life here. Thomas Hooker founded the state of Connecticut, and has been called, "The Father of American Democracy." James Pierrpont and Noadiah Russell founded Yale University. John Brockett laid out the town square of New Haven, Connecticut.

However, despite my connection--through no merits of my own--to the early days of this nation, I'm thankful that I am no more an American than my friends who became citizens of the United States in recent years. I'm thankful for the friends I have had who have come here from other countries and who have completed the sometimes-frustrating process to become citizens. Their perseverance reminds me to not take my freedoms for granted.

And though this week's Ten Things of Thankful post focused on the United States, I am also thankful for my friends who are not citizens of this nation. Especially with the internet, the world is a small place, and regardless of where on earth we live, we share so many common experiences. We can all learn from each other, regardless of allegiance.