Blessings

Its the time of year once again for counting blessings, and I am reminded that, living in the greatest country on the Earth, faults and all, I have so many blessings to count again this year.

I am blessed that I am truly free, that I can choose to go where I wish, be what I want within my means, to say what I wish to say about just about anything I want. I must look around me, and count the number of my worldly brethren that cannot enjoy these most basic of blessings.

I am blessed in that I can vote to choose my leaders, even if my choice may be overshadowed by the interests of Big Money or Big Corporations that will always have more resources than the public, and will always have more influence in swaying the public's opinion on an issue or a leader; I am blessed that they must always influence ME, and not ignore me as a non-being. I am the focus of their money and efforts, because I have the vote that they covet.

I am blessed that I can choose to not travel by airplane if I am offended by my country's misguided efforts to combat terrorism. I am also blessed in that I am free to pursue efforts to eliminate those offensive and mostly ineffective screening methods for domestic flights by choosing not to fly, hoping that the industry itself will eventually effect a change with the TSA for more reasonable methods.

I am blessed to be able to, and proud to, pay my taxes, in order to support my government and the programs enacted by the Congress elected by the people of the United States, the state of Florida, and my local community. At the same time, I am fortunate to live in a country where I am free to point out fraud and mishandling of tax money without fear of imprisonment or harm to my person.

I am blessed to belong to a middle class, where I earn enough money to own a small dwelling, a nice car, and some nice belongings, in a community safe from fear of crime. I am fortunate to have a good job that is, for the moment, safe from layoff or elimination, and is fulfilling emotionally and challenging mentally.

I am blessed to live in a country where the government is stable and safe from being overturned by enemies foreign or domestic, or safe from collapse from within, no matter what pundits or political rivals my cry from time to time; they have been doing so for two hundred and twenty years.

I am blessed to live in a place where my years of military service is celebrated, even while knowing that it is not the veteran that guarantees our freedom, it is the Constitution that guarantees our freedom.

I am blessed to be able to say the Pledge of Allegiance with my class each morning, and I am blessed to be free to take exception to the "Under God" clause, and still mean the rest of the Pledge without reservation.

I am blessed to be free to follow the religion of my choice, or no religion at all, or several religions at the same time. I am free enough in this country, and my privacy cherished enough by my fellow countrymen, that few people, if anyone, knows my true religious affiliation.

And finally, I am blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family, to see my brother again who I do not see nearly enough, and to spend time with my mother, and to see and smell the land and breathe the air in Tennessee, which I miss more than I care to say.

Happy Holiday Season.

- Crow