Dear World Cup Fans,

I have been watching you. I have seen your enthusiasm for your sport and your country. The joy you carry has lifted my spirits. The most meaningful part has been the love you have shown to us here in the U.S. The beauty of our country, the hospitality, the vastness has shocked you in the best way possible. Our small towns have wooed you. Our cities have embraced you. Your reaction has been priceless. It has been healing for my soul. Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? But, it’s true.

My soul has been battered as of late. You see, our country is divided more than I have ever seen in my 6 decades of life. Politics are always divisive. It is part of every country to have differing opinions among the people as well as the leaders. Yet, right now in our country, it feels different than politics as usual. The divide is deeper and wider than the Grand Canyon. This crevasse is a devastating injury, tearing our country apart, leaving us unable to function in a unified manner.

My soul is grieving for the spite and vitriol that are flowing. Neighbors against neighbors. Friends losing friends. Families estranged from one another. It seems the heart of our nation is fracturing. I have questioned if it is even reparable at this point or if we have permanently changed our core values of freedom for all and caring for our neighbors as we care for ourselves.

My hope was fleeting. My mind overwhelmed. My voice silent, because what is there to say that hasn’t already been said. The noise is so loud it is deafening. The positions so dug in there is little point in arguing. The grief is real. Deep. Watching the loss of my beloved country’s unity has been disturbing…as distressing as any event I have witnessed thus far in my lifetime. I am shattered in a way that feels unfamiliar to me.

And then, YOU arrived. From all over the world. You and your beautiful video clips of your astonishment of our country. Of our people. Of our genuine care for others. Of our culture, which is really many cultures that come together to make our country a unified nation. Of our food. Of our roads. Of our stores. Of our parks. Of our way of life. What a gift you have brought us for our 250^th birthday! A reminder of all that is wonderful in our nation. That despite the imperfections and current heartache, we are still a people more than a government.

We still embrace others from foreign nations. We are still curious. We happily share our lives while learning about yours. We have high school bands playing your national anthems. We have small towns waving your countries flags next to ours. Diners are paying your tabs. We are learning your chants. We are thinking of putting cones on statues. We watch you clean our stadiums and want to join in. We are wearing your team’s shirts. Going to watch games we don’t understand with you and you are doing the same with us. Our stadiums are places of international community. Locals are showing you the best BBQ, the best places to visit, and all the reasons we love it here in the USA. You are showing us your love for your own countries as well. The spirit of unity arrived back in the UNITED States when you showed up.

What it showed me was that America doesn’t need to be made great again, because it never stopped being great!  All the reasons we love this country are still here. They just haven’t been spotlighted in a long while, until YOU showed up. So, I thank you! For coming. For showing us respect and love. For reminding us of who we are. For finding us and holding up a mirror to show us this is what we look like. What we have always looked like. What no one can take from us. Our identity is not blue or red, religion, or national origin…it is liberty. The freedom to choose who we want to be and then to be that.

Please know your joy will forever be in our hearts because you came at a time when we needed you most.

Many thanks and much love to you all,

An American Citizen

P.S. Happy July 4^th…wait until you see the fireworks!!