Albanian by birth, American by choice

Happy 4th of July! We had a wonderful celebration that lasted the whole week-end. On Saturday, we had a great time swimming, eating, talking and spraying each other with water guns. Yes, we adults played too, and all of us had a grand time. The weather was just right, the food was cooked in perfection, the company were many of my friends, and the children were busy swimming in the pool, spraying each other or going down the water slide. Gillian had two of her best friends there, and she did a great job pleasing each of them individually. Jefferson made friends with every one and especially with the adults, whether it was through games or conversations, and James was inseparable from his friend, Zoe and his floaty. Each of them tried to swim and show me what they remembered from their swimming lessons. Gillian is doing so much better with her underwater swimming. Jefferson showed no fear as he swam all by himself in the deep end, but his forte was his diving. This boy loves to jump into the water! James kept his floaty with him most of the time, but I was pleased that he wasn't afraid to swim with it in the deep end by himself. He had such a good time playing with Zoe, that often times if we were looking for James, we would look at Zoe, and if we were looking for Zoe, we would try to find James. They were together the whole time. Charlton, beside being admired by every human being present there, enjoyed chewing on celery and carrots, and watching the kids play in the pool. I'm so glad the children are making friendships and enjoying each other.
On Sunday, beside having a very special testimony meeting, we were invited to celebrate the 4th of July with some other friends of ours, who were celebrating their own birthday as well. The highlight of the party, especially for the kids, was the 30 minute show of firecrackers and fireworks. Charlton didn't like the noise, so we had to take him inside the house, but my other children wanted to help fire them up.

We continued to celebrate this morning with our ward holding its annual 4th of July breakfast. We had a good breakfast of pancakes, sausages, and eggs, after which we listened to the raising of the flag and pledged allegiance to this great country and its flag. The primary children sang 'You're a grand old flag" and then had about fourteen veterans tell us a little bit about themselves and where they served. Among others, there was one veteran that had been a pilot during WWII. We thought that was pretty neat. We all enjoyed listening to them and remembering that the greatness of this country came from brave people such as them.

We ended our day today by taking the children to the movies. Actually, Elijah took the children to the movies to watch "Toy Story 3." I wanted to catch up with my cleaning, since we hadn't done anything to the house for days, being busy and all, and I also thought the children would be excited to be with their dad for a change. Charlton kept me company, sometimes helping me with my chores and sometimes providing me with background music. Now that the house is clean, we can play some more.

I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July. After Christmas, this is my favorite holiday of the year. And it's not because of the great weather or the delicious food, but it is because I get an opportunity to reflect and celebrate the greatness of this country. I'll always be an Albanian, because I grew up there and my heritage is from there. But in my heart, I'll always be an American as well. I love this country not only because of its wealth or the brilliant minds that come here or because of its technological developments. You can find plenty of that in other countries. I love this country for its people and for what it stands to the rest of the world, a beacon of hope, a land of freedom, and a place where you can achieve your dreams if you work hard. I also love this land and its people for their compassion and love for others. It is always America and the American soldiers and humanitarians that are found first in countries that need help. It is their generosity and unselfishness that gives the rest of the world hope. Don't let the liberal media tell you that this country is hated by the world. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY! The people out there in the world, the real people, the hard working people, and not the politicians or dictators, recognize and appreciate deep in their heart the purity of the American people. I'm grateful for our forefathers who were inspired to draw up a constitution that would chart the future of this great country, and of the world. Having studied the American history attentively, I have no doubt that the hand of the Lord was with these distinguished men. The way many of specific historical events were unfolded, leaves no doubt in my mind also that there was a purpose for this country to be a land of freedom, freedom to worship our God being one of them, and a right to decide who we want to become, a mentality and a right rarely found in many other countries to this day. It is in this country that the fullness of the gospel was brought forth, and it is in this country that the New Zion will gather when our Savior comes again. This love for my new country doesn't make me arrogant. I don't think we are better than the rest of the world, but I feel and know that because of America's constitution, its history and the hand of the Lord in many events of this country, it has made the people of this country peculiar, with a touch of generosity and purity rarely found in other countries, and that is a blessing to behold. And as long as we keep our motto "In God We Trust" in our hearts and actions, this country will always be "the land of the free and the home of the brave." HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO YOU ALL!