This is my country

As we were idly chatting over coffee the other morning my husband blurted out, ‘hey, did you know that when we were kids there were Civil War soldiers still alive?’  OK, this day is starting on an annoying foot.  ‘Really?’ I tried to sound incredibly fascinated while realizing that if the math is right, we are OLD.  Later that afternoon I did some quick research on Google and it appears that yes, there really were soldiers from the WAY BACK THEN still living in the 50’s.  Ain’t that great?  As my generation watched in amazement when a rocket blasted off to the moon, the last of the Civil War soldiers passed to their final reward.  Tell me, do you think our society has made as much progress as those soldiers would have wished before their passing?  They fought and died to preserve a Union that is rapidly spending itself into debtor’s prison even as we moan and complain that the price of gasoline has risen another dime.  Hmmmm, I’m believing that they wouldn’t think too highly of our values right now.  Maybe the time has come for us to look back – WAY BACK – to the beginnings of this great nation for some insight into how we became so powerful and wealthy in the first place.  If we all start our mornings with just a teeny, tiny bit of the sacrifice and fortitude that those folks exemplified, we might deserve a teeny, tiny bit of the blessings we all enjoy in this country – their country - today.