America! America!

America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

America The Beautiful…!

A HAPPY 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND TO ALL…!   A special thanks to all the men and women throughout our history who have bravely fought to obtain and retain our independence. Keeping our independence is a never-ending struggle and generation after generation has given many of its best to fight and die for the “red…white…and blue.

I love this flag. For me it symbolizes the  independence I enjoy. As I get older, the more I seem to understand and appreciate what it means to have this independence. I earned my status as a veteran over 40 years ago. Like many veterans during my era, we wore the uniform, came home, and moved on with our lives. There were very few television ads or promotions about veterans, if any. Back in the day as a veteran, many of us were given the address to the closest VA hospital (if you needed medical assistance). If you did not need assistance, you just went home and picked up where you left off. Fortunately, today it is much different. I probably average five calls a month from organizations requesting money to support veteran causes and I do what I can because many need help. America could do better with our treatment of veterans but this is part of the greatness of America. We have the opportunity to make things better and to get it right sooner or later.

As I said, I love this flag. Driving down one of my streets, a car dealer has the biggest flag you have ever seen. It is huge! There are times I want to pull over and just watch it play with the wind and the sun. This is what it is all about I think. This is Independence Day standing tall and large for us all to see. This is the 4th of July in America…!

When I consider my independence, I think about my freedom of mobility, my freedom as a consumer of goods and services, my freedom to worship as I prefer, my freedom to live where I choose to live, my freedom to associate with others regardless of any differences, and many more freedoms that are all part of my everyday experiences.

These freedoms have a heartbeat and I can hear it beating loud and clear every time I hear Ray Charles sing “America the Beautiful”. His soulful rendition is very special. His voice sounds like I feel inside. He brings life and meaning to the words and it touches that spot where my patriotism likes to hide out at times. This is America and if we are completely honest, there is not another place most of us would prefer to be. Case in point, all the talk about improved border security north or south is not to keep anyone from leaving America. So on this weekend, this very special weekend, putting all politics aside, let’s sing along with Ray as we did last year… !

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL…!

GREAT NEWS!!!

I promised some special news for this week so let’s get the band fired up to play because this week we reached another major Blogging milestone with “Friends of Copey”.

This past week, the Blog website has passed the 5,000 hit mark. ASTOUNDING!!!

It was only March 23rd when I announced hitting the 4,000 hit mark.

This Blog is only about 18 months old and we are now heading to the 6,000 hit milestone. The “hits” indicate the number of visits to my Blog and that means only you can impact this count. The number is significant because of the type of Blog it is. It is not a commercial blog or a site for recipes, home remedies, or other “How To Do’s”. Our site is about an ongoing interest in a small rural town in Costa Rica, a very small learning center, and some of the coolest kids on earth. The site also is a place I can share some personal information, but the children of Copey is the main centerpiece for this Blog, Costa Rica and about the great supporters that make up the “Friends of Copey”.

I mentioned in the past that Brazil is a heavy hitter. Over the past six months alone, Brazil accounted for about 20% of the visits to the Blog. Costa Rica accounted for approximately 15% but is constantly growing. Over 60% of the visits are from the USA. The rest of the visits cover the globe but in very small numbers. Brazil!  I do not know anyone in Brazil and I do not hear from anyone in Brazil. However, they represent the second largest country visiting the Blog each month. If anyone listening has an explanation, let me know. Regardless, I am very happy to have both Brazil and Costa Rican readers staying connected.

The milestone is ongoing proof that the interest in the Learning Center continues. Several of you “Friends” I know are fully committed and represent the bulk of the support. Some “Friends” come and go and that is expected and okay. It is always encouraging to know that every day offers a new opportunity for a new person to join in and who knows what an impact this will eventually have.

I thank you all…current “Friends”, past “Friends”, and the “Friends” of the future. The flags of Costa Rica and America are joined in this project. These flags symbolize the partnership and the possibilities for a better future. This is “independence” on display!