With lower Manhattan as a backdrop, tourists take a ferry to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty in New York City on Aug. 8, 2017. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)Orthographic Simplified
America stands for freedom.
Freedom is America.
For Americans before us, freedom has always been their guideline. Now, for those yet to come, it must be more important than ever. Freedom requires strength, courage, sacrifice, and grace, for it is in grace that we often find true freedom.
Long before I entered this world, America was gracious to me. More than 50 years ago, she welcomed with open arms two brave men who fled a communist regime to a country that embodies freedom. Those two men were my Parents, who came to this country with only the clothes on their backs, but with a light of hope inside them that no strong, gusty wind could extinguish. They left everything they knew for the sake of freedom and the opportunity to provide a better Life for themselves, but more importantly, to create a future for their children.
When my father arrived in the United States, he held multiple jobs. Most days he was up at the crack of dawn, didn’t sleep for a few hours until the afternoon, and then went back to work the night shift. As a child, I would rush Home after school and lie next to him for a few minutes.
At that point, I knew my parents had made great sacrifices for me. We didn’t have much money and lived in a converted basement filled with old clothes and trash collection day (plucked) treasures, but I cherished the stories he shared with me about his life before he came to the United States, about his childhood, about my grandparents’ lives, and the big Cuban Family reunions.
I am in awe of the hopes and Dreams he left behind on that small Caribbean island. As a child whose mind is still filled with the idea that there are monsters under the bed, I have often wanted to ask him about his hopes and dreams back then.
“Dad, where did you get the courage to decide to leave Cuba?”
His answer never wavered.
“We had the courage to seek freedom because of the compassion of the great nation of the United States throughout history, her willingness to reach out to others and her commitment to sacrifice for the good of her people.”
“As scary as it is to start over in a foreign country and the challenges of the language barrier, it is even scarier to think about staying in a country that no longer values its people. We made the difficult decision to say goodbye to the only life we had ever known, while being overwhelmed by the reality that there was no return.”
“Your mother and I knew in our hearts that there was no better future for our children than in a country where there was freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the ability to work hard to achieve our dreams, even though they might look different from the original.”
“We endured the hard and long process of immigration because we knew there was no greater reward than being able to immigrate to a country willing to extend favors to complete strangers.”
Long after my father left this world, I remembered his words. Over the years, at every opportunity I had to pursue further Education or employment, I expressed my willingness to do so, and my father’s message was clear at every Sunday service. Now, with a family of my own, raising children in the land that gave my parents the opportunity to realize their new dreams, I have instilled American values in my own children so that they can do the same for future generations.
America has steadfastly embodied a morality that other nations are still trying to achieve. She is a nation built on faith: faith in her founding fathers, faith in her core values, faith in her virtues and faith in her people. She accepted immigrants long ago and in her grace gave their children a better future than my parents could have ever imagined.
America has extended her grace to me, and now that we are her people, we must extend our grace to her as well.
Author Bio.
Leah Vidal is a Writer based in New Braunfels, Texas, who is currently working on a series of children’s books.
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