Sitting in a pub on a rainy November afternoon in
Ireland a few years back, an elderly gentleman in a grey tweed jacket struck up
a conversation with me about dreams. “I retired a few years ago,” he lamented.
“Now, I come down here most afternoons for a pint or two…or three, if truth be
told, and dream about things that could have been.” Intrigued, and loving the
way the words roll through his thick Irish brogue, I encouraged him to
continue. “If you could have only one dream
still come true, what would it be?” His blue eyes twinkled, “Aye, lassie, that
one is easy. I would buy a plane ticket and fly to New York City?” I was a
little surprised. “Really?” He put his pint down and turned to me, “Aye. I
would spend a few days in the city and then buy another ticket for a Greyhound
bus that was bound for California. I would see a lot of your grand country
along the way.” As I looked over at the bog burning in the stone hearth, I
couldn’t help but think of the irony of our conversation. “Wow”, I said to him.
“I am living one of my dreams sitting here in your country.” He picked up his
pint and replied…..”Then you dream too small”.
I do not
dream small. I know what our country means to me, I’m just always surprised at
what it means to outsiders. Right beneath my kitchen window and slightly above
my skink, is a wooden plague that reads “Land that I love….” It has been there for years. I can’t even
remember buying it. And still, I would never think of moving it. I know that we
have our issues, but this country is still as good as it gets. Ten minutes of
watching CNN will convince you of that.
So, with
Fourth of July just days away, I am preparing to head to the beach with my
family in tow and celebrate with gusto the freedoms that we have been blessed
with. I will get goose bumps at the sight of white summer porches covered with
waving American flags.
I will smile at the young kids who took hours to decorate
their bikes for the parade. I will feel great pride and appreciation when our veteran
soldiers march by. I will sit on the Jersey beach and watch the fireworks shoot
into the sky over the dark ocean and dream of a day when the entire world will share
in the freedoms that Americans have. And that a peacefulness like we've never known will surround us. See my Irish friend, I do dream big.
Photos supplied by ImageGoogle
Photos supplied by ImageGoogle
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