God Bless America

Yesterday I dropped a cast iron lid on my kitchen floor. The loud 
noise of it triggered our house alarm and I heard a voice from the 
control panel saying, "Broken glass in dining area." 

I rushed over to the panel where a man over the speaker asked if I 
was okay. I told him it was just a lid that fell, no windows broke. 
We chatted a bit and then he said, "Have a Happy 4th of July 
tomorrow." 

Oh that's right, the 4th is tomorrow, I thought.

Then later on last night as I was leaving my neighborhood 
bookclub a few of the ladies said to me as I was headed out the 
door, "Happy 4th of July tomorrow!" 

Oh right, I forgot again. I just wasn't feeling it this year. I'd had so 
many other things on my mind. 

Then this morning I got this text from my sister.

Then I realized what was missing. Not the zucchini. But the 

God Bless America. 

I wish I would have told that man at our panel yesterday, 

"God Bless America." 

I wish I would have told the bookclub ladies, 

"God Bless America." 

At church last Sunday a man got up and said it was 39 years ago 

this month that he took the Oath of Allegiance and became an 

American citizen. He said that while things are not perfect here, 

and while some things should definitely be better, it's an 

extraordinary blessing to live here.

Just as I said Merry Christmas to every store clerk I could last 
December, it's time for me to say God Bless America today.