Blessed

I was blessed to grow up in a loving family in the Bible Belt. Blessed is a word that we use in the south. My blessed life has allowed me to experience thousands of beautiful mornings with green space and blue skies along with the smell of breakfast cooking and the space to wake up at my own pace in my own space. I realize that this is not the case for everyone.

I had the luxury of an immersive summer in a third world country. I lived with jungle medics, and helped teach at a school for kids who could not afford the basic human necessities. Being there and seeing how humans and animals are often treated poorly showed me how blessed I really am to have a roof over my head and good food to eat.

Every weekend for eight years, my family fed homeless people in our community. We wanted them to know that homelessness is not what defines them and that they are loved unconditionally by God. My parents also cared for over forty foster kids. As a child I had to learn how to share my siblings, my parents, my clothes, and my room. It was hard to learn how to share my life but also still have enough space for myself. We adopted two of our foster kids and now they get to live with a family that can provide everything they need.

My grandfather grew up very poor. He had no father figure in the house so he had to help take care of his four other siblings. He was a very good student in high school, and every senior year all of the teachers voted on who gets a scholarship to MTSU and my grandfather won it. He was the first one out of everyone in my family to go to college. He made a way for himself which paved a path for all the generations after him.

Being an American means that I won't be treated badly because of my beliefs, that I have good laws that protect me, and that I have excellent opportunities for education, healthcare, and careers. My American creed is that I have a safe place to live, the freedom to believe what I want, that I am truly blessed, and that I am set up for success. My family’s history has shown me how truly blessed I am to be an American citizen.