AMERICA THE GREAT. FINAL CHAPTER.

America, The Great! continues...
I drove into Mexico this weekend for a family reunion. It was tiring but oh, so rewarding.
Descendants of my great-grandparents got together in that beautiful resort town in the
Pacific to meet, connect and reconnect. Present were members of the third, the fourth
as in the case of my siblings and cousins, the fifth and even the sixth
generation sharing our common ancestors. There were doctors, architects,
accountants, nurses, chemists, school principals, teachers, students, business owners,
office managers, retirees, as well as young vibrant entrepreneurs, and even young
children.
As we gathered together, the upcoming elections in this country were very much a part
of my conversations with my Mexican family. Instead of asking me who I was most likely
to vote for, they wanted to know my opinion about this or the other candidate.
They also wanted to know what it would mean to them and their families if one or the
other wins. As far as I could tell, none of them sells drugs, all of them have crossed the
border many times, but legally to bring their children to Disneyland, Six Flags, Mount
Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Hollywood, New York, and many other interesting and
beautiful places in the US, paying for their vacations, by honest means. Some have
also spent their hard earned money paying tuitions in American colleges and
universities for those same children, as my own father did, to provide them with good
education.
Sadly, I could not assuage their worries or trepidations. I do not know what changes
await us all.
What I do know is that I love this country. I believe its Constitution was divinely inspired.
I believe the establishment of this great nation was the fulfillment of prophesy “...a land
which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with
me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted
this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led
out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according
to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land
save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.” 2 Nephi 1: 5-6.
I believe also that this country was and has been preserved throughout its history
from its enemies according to its goodness. Alexis of Tocqueville is credited with
calling America great. His words were, “ America is great because she is good, and if
America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”
So what were the characteristics this great country possessed years ago, when I set
foot as a wide-eyed innocent young girl? It was welcoming, it was kind, and it was
faithful. It not only believed in something but stood for something.
America then lived by the words of her first President, George Washington, who said,
“ Observe good faith and justice toward all nations, cultivate peace and
harmony with all.”
America believed in the freedoms granted by her Constitution. And one of them is our
freedom to worship and pray. As a matter of fact, another of her presidents, Ronald
Reagan, said, “ The Constitution was never meant to prevent people from praying. Its
declared purpose was to protect their freedom to pray.”
So, when so much is at stake, let us pray. Let us pray for understanding, for humility,
for compassion and charity, for courage, for honesty, for integrity, for true citizenship.
Our protection lies not on building walls but on our diligence and obedience to the
commandments we have been given by Deity. It lies on keeping the Heavens open to
our prayers of faith for the protection of those we love, inside and outside our borders.
It lies in our knowing that as a Child of God you and I have the power to succeed, to
survive, to conquer, and to accomplish all that we were sent here to do.
Whatever happens next Tuesday, I hope as honest citizens we make our choices based
on those principles which made this nation once respected and admired around the
globe, and earned God’s blessings. I hope also that we take the time to educate
ourselves and not gather our information from a biased media, for just as another of our
forefathers so wisely admonished, “ The man who reads nothing at all is better
educated than the man who reads nothing but the newspapers.” Thomas Jefferson.
May God Bless America!
forefathers so wisely admonished, “ The man who reads nothing at all is better