Thankful to be an American

As I sat along the banks of the Potomac River today listening to Tom Petty and drinking a couple cold Sam Adams beers, I thought about how thankful I am to be an American. The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holiday's.  Barbecues, fireworks, a day off work. It's quite simply an outstanding day. But it's also a time to reflect on how lucky we are to be from this great country.

Freedom is often taken for granted.  Many in the world don't have this privledge and come to America seeking what we were born into. Our forefathers fought for our freedom and our soldiers continue to fight bravely to protect it.  As Americans we can make our own futures.  Sure, some have more opportunity than others to succeed, but the basic premise holds true; Everyone has the chance to be successful.

Life sucks sometimes. We grumble about work, family, friends, money.  Sometimes it's hard to remember how lucky we all are.  It's easy to forget all the choices we have. We can get an education, travel the world, get married to who we want. We can sit by the river and drink beers, or watch football on the couch on Sunday's.  We can listen to the music we want, watch the movies we want, work as much or as little as we want.  We can create our own future whatever that may be.  Let's all make sure to take a moment today and thank our lucky stars that we are Americans.