I’ve never heard so much craziness during a political primary. I’ve never been so appalled at our choices for candidacy. I am seriously stupefied at the conundrum we are in politically.
It seems that the current political situation has many thinking that it can only go downhill from here. Plenty of Americans feel hopeless about the future of our country and they have all but thrown in the towel for the fight.
But let me tell you something.
Somewhere, right now…
Somewhere in America at some breakfast table, in some classroom even as you read this blog post, sit the future presidents of this nation. Right now, those future Commander-in-Chiefs are on someone’s baseball team, in someone’s biology class, or on some school’s debate squad.
Mom and Dad, that future president could very well be the wee one you tuck in every night. The teenager you shake your head over. The tweenager you are struggling with.
The future congressmen, senators, and Supreme Court judges are right now growing up in the everyday American homes. The future leaders of our nation have already been born and you may very well be the parent, the teacher, the coach or the neighbor of one of them.
So wake up.
Forget bumbling and complaining about our current political nightmare and get about the business of raising the kind of leaders you want in the future. The opportunity is ours for the taking. Don’t waste another breath complaining about today’s problems…just pray instead for our current leaders…and let’s get our hands dirty in the process of raising up tomorrow’s presidents, congressmen, senators, judges, mayors, generals, sergeants, and town council members.
Let’s look at our breakfast table this morning and forget moaning about the fighting and the whining and the spilled orange juice, choose to see beyond the unbrushed teeth and imagine that little bold, fresh piece of humanity to be the next head of our nation’s executive branch of government. The next Speaker of the House. The future Supreme Commander over our nation’s military force. And go HARD.
Go hard after their education. Take their pursuits seriously. Begin cultivating a love of country in our children instead of continuing to complain about America in front of them and by default teaching them that she’s already a sinking ship and so their future doesn’t really matter. (I’ve seen this very thing happen in the mind of a child before folks. It’s scary. When parents continue to preach gloom and doom, kids give up on their future and either resort to dangerous pursuits thinking their future has no hope or complete laziness. It’s not a good thing.)
So how do we cultivate that love of country? How do we teach them to appreciate America and all she has to offer? How do we teach our children to care about the future of our nation?
On Memorial Day, take them to a cemetery service. Have them pass out little thank you notes to veterans. The vets are easy to spot, they wear the names of their ships or the names of their battalions on their baseball caps.
On Independence day, start the day by reading The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Tell them stories of the incredible founding of our nation and read about the Founding Fathers a bit before you head out to the beach for a bar-b-que.
November 11th is Veteran’s Day. Find a parade and again pass out thank you notes.
At Christmas, find a local Wreaths Across America and give your children an opportunity to lay a wreath on the grave of a fallen soldier or veteran. Participate in our American Gold Star Christmas project and let your children pick out a Gold Star child who has lost a parent in the service of our nation’s military and go purchase the gifts that the Gold Star child is asking for together.
At Valentine’s Day, purchase a small bouquet from our site to send to a military widow and let her know she is not forgotten.
And this Mother’s Day, you have an opportunity to say THANK YOU to the mother of a fallen soldier by helping support An American Gold Star Mother’s Day Weekend. Click here to create a login (username and password) and you will be able to see pictures of Gold Star Mothers with their sons. You can sponsor any part of her weekend– breakfast ($30) or her parking ($14) or maybe you want to sponsor an entire weekend for a mom and go about raising the funds by bringing your friends and family in on the project.
It’s another opportunity to show your children that the price for this country (and all she has to offer us) is paid for dearly with the loved ones of thousands of Gold Star family members all across this country.
How do we raise grateful Americans? How do we raise little patriots who will become the future leaders of this great nation? We continually put the cost and sacrifice of their freedom in front of the children and continually look for ways for them to show gratitude to those who have bore the cost the heaviest. And then we watch it ignite their fire for their own future and how they may contribute to our country in a way that honors the price paid for their every opportunity.
We are offering an awesome opportunity for you to do that with our Mother’s Day weekend and I am hoping each one of you will join us with any amount you are able to give.
Because right now, the future President of the United States could be growing up under your roof. And that child needs to know exactly how precious the cost of their freedom is.
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