When Katharine Lee Bates, reached the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado, she took in the majestic wonders of  God’s creation and was inspired to write “America the Beautiful.” This poem was first published on July 4, 1895. “America the Beautiful” was later turned into the song. This ballad comes second to “The Star-Spangled Banner” as our country’s National Anthem.

By Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929)
Music by Samuel Augustus Howe (1847-1903)

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion’d stress
A thorough fare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.

America! America!
God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov’d
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.

America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

“America the Beautiful” is my favorite patriotic song. These lyrics came from the beauty of God’s creation. I cannot think of a more appropriate time to speak of American patriotism than today, I feel as if I received an assignment from my fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Duffy to write an essay on the Fourth of July. So here is my long overdue composition.

Purple is my favorite color, especially this time of year when the stately Jacarandas are in full bloom. Other times of the year these trees blend in with the rest of all green trees. Jacarandas designer clothing is from above, dressed up in their best purple array of flowers that bloom endlessly. The Jacarandas welcome in late spring, and peak in early July.  These trees return again for a standing ovation right before winter. They color the sky and scape the earth with purple, and fill the air with a sweet scent of heaven. California is the only place where Jacarandas bloom twice a year. This is my purple majesty, and it connects me to a tangible beauty of our country, and this is one of many reasons why I love the good old USA.

The state of mind of America does not reflect her beauty. America’s spirit is broken, so until we settle our differences, I choose to look beyond and welcome her big sky and all that encompasses her glorious scenery.

Our flag will fly perched on the rooftop, on the Fourth of July.  It will make a statement of patriotism. It will adorn our home with pride, and the red, white and blue will forever wave to all who pass by. I am an American that still believes the lyrics inspired by God, written by Katharine Lee Bates. I hold on to the verse “God shed His grace on thee” as an infallible truth as to how our country was established. We are still one nation under God, striving to keep our country at peace, and with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that You would give us all a sign of Your holy presence in our country. We are so divided, and it seems that all hope is vanished. Only You Lord can bring us back to one nation under God. Only You can restore what was lost. By Your model, teach us to be loving, respectful, and accepting of others differences. Guide us to do Your holy will.  Amen

On December 27, 2017, I had surgery to correct a hammer toe on my right foot. The specialist said that it would take at least six months for the full recovery from the surgery, but I thought I knew better. After the surgery I really believed that all would be back to normal in a couple of months. But things did not turn out that way. During the follow-up visit I was told that all went well as far as the surgery was concerned, and that the rest of the problem was in my head. My foot was still doing the weird curling of the toes, making me keep walking with a limp, and sometimes I heard a shuffle while walking. I made another appointment with the doctor, but this time I was forlorn. I still could not wear tennis shoes, or other thong-type sandals due to the massive amount of scar tissue, and any closed toed shoes caused pain. The doctor’s response was that I needed physical therapy to learn how to walk again. I felt insulted by his choice of words, but nonetheless I did follow-up with the therapy.

If you have ever been to a beauty school, where the students are in training, you sometimes you can’t really tell the difference between the teacher and the student until you get a really bad haircut. Well, the first physical therapy place was a like this, a bunch of young therapists in training.  After three sessions, I wanted nothing more to do with this. as the robotic millennials were overly friendly but incompetent. I canceled my appointment because I was going to the Holy Land, but in reality I had lost faith in physical therapy.

As life would have it, my foot continued to be my cross and complaining was a constant. I purchased a comfortable pair of lightweight shoes for the missionary trip, but this only caused further damage. Good Friday was one of the worst days because of the discomfort, and all the walking we did that on that day set me back to a pronounced limp.

I continued with my workout regiment wearing Mike’s sandals, I called them my boyfriend shoes. These shoes did not cause pain and I could fasten them securely with the Velcro.

Thinking that this was my lot in life, I pretty much surrendered to the problem. I was having other health issues with back pain, and made an appointment with my primary care physician. I brought up my foot problem, and he told me again that it was an issue of mind over matter thing. My interpretation from this advice was that this doctor thought I was creating this problem in my head. I was also advised to return to physical therapy.

Taking matters into my own hands, I decided to no longer return to the podiatrist who told me it was in my head,  and made an appointment with a foot surgeon. The meeting went well but the specialist said  “You forgot how to walk!” “So, are you saying it’s in my head?” I asked.  His response was “Yes.”

For three years I put off the surgery and was compensating for my injury, and my mind and body got accustomed to defective toe doing what seemed natural. So when the surgery came, I really had forgotten how to walk normally. All three doctors were right, so now I’m back in physical therapy. No students this time, just professionals, sports specialist, and this is finally working for me. I am doing toe yoga, along with a lot of other exercises, to improve my balance and to learn how to walk again with proper stability. Sometimes it feels as if I’m taking a sobriety test with the different types of walking exercises that are required.

We went to dinner at Las Brisas, in Laguna Beach, on Friday, with the Louisiana Crew. We walked down to the beach, and for the first time in years I felt like I was walking normally.

Hindsight shows that we pay a big price in putting off what needs to be done in a timely matter.

Proverbs 6:4-6 New King James Version (NKJV)

In other words, don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

They were eight coming in from the  New Orleans area. A direct flight from Louis Armstrong Airport  to LAX, with a pit stop at In-N-Out hamburgers, brought them to our doorstep at 2:00 A.M. My sister Jo was staying with us and her two sons and their families were staying a stone’s throw away from Disneyland.

Day One:  They wanted to go to Hollywood to take in the sights, but I informed them that it was Gay Pride Week, and the traffic would be a great deterrent. Then they wanted to go visit where my mother once lived, but their cousin  Sonja told them that that would be too dangerous. Sonja used kind, loving words, “I would never take my children there for fear of their lives.” Our son Mikos came in and piled more fear about the dangers in the City of Angels. Our son-in-law Russ heard that they wanted to attend a game at Dodger Stadium, and warned them that they could be stabbed. So on the first day, they stayed within the compound of the Marriott Hotel and hung out by the pool. My sister Jo kept mentioning to me that all we were doing was discouraging all their plans. Later, I will share a story with what they put me through when I visit them.

Day Two: They wanted to go to the beach but the riptides and waves were too dangerous for swimming in the ocean. The Dodgers were in town playing the Atlanta Braves, so they went to the game. The last time that Frank was at a Dodger game Fernando Valenzuela was pitching. These brave Southerners stayed the entire game. We usually leave after the third inning or after eating a Dodger Dog.

Day Three: Frank and Nick, my nephews, are getting married in Las Vegas this June 15, so we planned a family barbecue. It was a perfect day for a family gathering, and my brother Mike and two of his sons and their families joined us for the gathering; we were a total of 27. Mike made his famous Cherry Cola Ribs and hamburgers. We shared many stories and made wonderful memories, while all of the kids swam. Every last one of the beach towels was put to use, then we discovered that our clothes dryer was on the brink.

Day Four: Universal Studios, I cannot express how I loathe the crowds, and waiting in long lines. I am not a Disney fan either, so Jo and I stayed behind.

My sister is the same way when I visit her, as she never wants to do anything touristy and refuses to take me to the French Quarter.

We are like cats when visiting each other, taking many naps in between our ventures. All of us three sisters, Norma included, share another thing in common; we care for our grandchildren and many times our schedules revolve around their timetable. In reality, that is what family is about, right?

On Thursday, round two with more Cajun’s arriving.

“And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” ~1 John 4:21