CONGRATULATIONS, ABC News and all of their contributing consultants, for the most beautiful celebration of our 250th birthday as a nation ever done by a news organization! If you did not catch this spectacular and heart-warming pictorial of our nation and its true history, you really missed something very special. ABC and Disney beautifully captured the seven wonders of our nation: the Grand Canyon, the Appalachian Mountains, the Everglades, the Hawaiian Mauna Loa and Kilauea Volcanoes, the Niagara Falls, the Yellowstone National Park, and the Red Woods. Interspersed throughout this 24-hour special were so many other portrayals of America that did not highlight the darkness that has crept into our lives as a country.
I felt a pride in America, along with some tears, that I have not felt for years. I offer my paraphrasing of “America, the Beautiful,” music written by Samuel A. Ward and text written by Katherine L. Bates.
For the spacious skies, the amber grains, the majestic purple mountains, and the plentiful plains of fruit, we thank You, Lord!
God’s grace we ask for America.
God’s blessings of brotherhood we need from sea to shining sea.
For heroes dying for liberty, for sacrifices only they knew in battles, and for the mercy they gave for our lives, we thank You, Lord!
God’s love refined in gifts.
God’s definition of success as noble and every gain made divine.
For patriotic dreams that light our future, for brilliantly colored cities and towns, and for human tears that have strengthened our purpose, we thank You, Lord!
God mends our flaws and forgives our sins.
God provides the seeds of self-control and laws that grant liberty to all.
America! America! God bless our nation now and forever!
May we never forget that we are the stewards of this beautiful nation that You created in love for all!
Anna Hartt
