Facebook and Fireworks

First of all, I love facebook. I love it like I love beer. It makes me all warm and fuzzy. But just like beer, a person can have too much of FB. One of the unintentional side effects of all my time spent on FB is that I have not been blogging as much. I used to put a lot of thought into my blog and lately I take the lazy way out and just post one sentence here and there on my FB page instead. My 335 FB friends obviously appreciate the frequent tidbits I post for their amusement, but I feel that I am leaving my blog-followers unsatisfied lately. I vow to rectify that. Starting...now.

On July 3rd, Truman will have been with us for 8 months. Time really flies. Actually, it feels like he has been with us since he was born because he is proving to be 100% Naughton. (His Irish temper betrays him.) This 4th of July will be his first spent as an American. I hope that as he grows, he will appreciate how fortunate he is to be a citizen of this country. I think a lot of us who were born here take for granted the freedoms we enjoy. When I reflect on our time spent in Communist China, watch news reports of bedlam in the streets of Tehran, and read accounts of never-ending violence in Baghdad, I realize how incredibly lucky I am to have been born in the United States. Our country is far from perfect, but I will take growing up in the American midwest with it's laid-back lifestyle, friendly neighbors, and relatively safe streets over just about any other place on Earth. I hope when Truman gets older, he will feel this way, too.

So while you are watching fireworks (made in China) this Independence Day, take a moment to appreciate what it means to be an American. Then take a moment to appreciate what it must be like to be Chinese, working seven days a week in a factory making fireworks for Americans' amusement while earning about a dollar a day in the hope that someday you can make a better life for your children. That's all any of us can hope for, no matter where we're from. Isn't that what we call "The American Dream?"

Happy 4th of July. Now, back to facebook...