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