My City...

I'm at this very moment on a bus taking me back to the most amazing city in the world, Washington, DC. The city I love more then anything with the people I adore. There is nothing like leaving home for a little bit to help you appreciate it more when you return. Do you know that feeling when you're missing somebody special and you're apart for a long time? When you finally see each other, you hug, but your special someone hugs you so tight and you KNOW they missed you just as much. You feel so wanted, it's almost worth being apart just to feel that. I missed my city, so much I want to hug it tight when i get back.

I'm so proud to live in a city full of such rich history. The people who walked those sidewalks have shaped our country. They have had a hand on each and everyone of our lives today, some good and some bad, but all beneficial to our future. Those men lying in Arlington have given us our life as we know it. One by one they fought for a higher purpose. They understood that freedom isn't free. Freedom is a bloody long exhausting path. Even young boys at the age of 12 in the 1700s understood the cost for freedom. They picked up arms and fought beside their fathers for the liberties we take for granted. When you walk around DC you start to understand the impact these men had on this nation. From the Capitol to the Lincoln memorial, you'll see just how much has been given to all of us. It's sad because we're such a ungrateful nation, full of takers not givers. Like JFK said in his inaugural speech, "ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." Are we doing that? Are we asking, what can I do for my country? Or are we asking, what is this country going to do for me?

Between the bailout and everything else, all I hear is me me me. Our new president asked for a call to service today. I couldn't agree more. Serving each other today will shape our country tomorrow. As a Christian nation we shouldn't have to be asked. We should be actively getting our feet dirty, not just for our neighbors, but for future generations to be inspired by. Just like we are inspired by walking around DC and learning how our former leaders put their country first. We can say to our children, follow our lead. Teaching them to put others above themselves and to embrace the truths our Heavenly Father has given us. The thing I love most about my city is that it has my Father's stamp all over it. His hand is and always has been on this great nation. He has stood beside those brave barefoot 12 year old boys during the Revolution, He brought our country back together after a civil war, and He destroyed the enemies of the world in WWII. It's His might that has given our fighters strength and courage in the mist of death. He is the orginator for CHANGE. And it's because of that great truth, that I can dare to hope for HIS change to come to my Washington, DC.