Amen to That

Lest I continue to beat a dead horse,

and sound unappreciative

of all the invisible things that

our country helps provide


let me say~



For my birth costing my parents $17.85 because of medical insurance;

And eight years of primary school that cost my parents the clothes on my back, a full pencil case, and lunch packed in my lunchbox;

And free public high school classes for 35 hours a week, 9 months a year, for four years, including free books to use and lab supplies to consume, and an enthusiastic exposure to the arts, and a chance to participate in student government, explore literature and live the sociology of high school which shaped the adult I became;

For the $1.65 an hour national wage standard so my weekend part time job at the Donut Wheel could relieve the household and I could buy clothes and save for that car I scrimped together $325.00 to pay half for;

And the private college education that was funded 70% by the state of California for such an average student who could keep up a B average but had to work on campus to partner with the opportunity;

And the chance to find and keep part time jobs to pay most of the rest of schooling costs;

For a world where being a girl never stopped the dreams of independence and opportunities to live a life in color;

And the chance to bring children into a world where there was no worry about their safety, food and shelter, or a limited culture of achievement;

And when we hit a wall that we could not overcome, there were social programs designed to lend a hand until something came along;

To all of that,
I say
thank you.

Our medicine heals the sick; our opportunities help us rise when we fall; and our promise renews the hope that all but seems lost. What good fortune there is in America still!