Dear America,

You are my country, and while I’m not convinced that patriotism is a vital part of Godliness, I do love you. I love that you allow me to vote for our leaders, and I appreciated have the right to do pretty much anything I might want to (because I’m a very law abiding citizen; this is not true for everyone obviously). I am protected by a military that believes in this country and these freedoms, and while I actively dislike spending time in government offices, yours are run far better than others I have suffered through. I am served by a police force who receives mostly hostility for doing their job to try and make our highways and cities safe, and after taking road trips in a third world country, I won’t complain (too much) about Louisiana’s highways ever again. You are where the land of my heart, the South is located, and I love your majestic landscapes and diversity. You are the home of barbeque, Ranch dressing, sweet tea, Root Beer, and Dr. Pepper.

There are some things about you that I don’t enjoy so much. The embarrassment of being around most of your tourists in foreign countries is pretty bad, and unfortunately the stereotypes of rude, brash Americans has been pretty fairly earned. Your people have made some, shall we say, ‘interesting’ political choices in the last few years, and your are providing an excellent and vivid picture of the weaknesses of a democracy where it’s people are either uneducated or won’t participate. I find it frustrating that you have made acceptance your greatest virtue instead of integrity or honesty, and there are a host of social problems that we are trying to solve in the wrong way by treating the symptom, not the disease.

But, despite all that, you are still my country, and I am thankful for you. I’m thankful that 240 years ago educated, Godly men signed a document the likes of which the world had never seen, and that I am a part of that heritage. I’m proud to bear your passport, and I pray for the future of my country. May God bless America in the coming years, may I be able to do some small things to make my country a better place, and may we never forget how blessed we are. Missing you today,

~ A Texan ex-pat