Pat Bean's blog

America the Beautiful 

Spacious Skies: Whale Rock, Canyonlands National Park. — Photo by Pat Bean

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion’d stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine!

O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

— Katharine Lee Bates

Happy Fourth of July

Purple Mountain Majesty: Mount Rainer — Photo by Pat Bean

     There are many things in this country that need to be fixed, starting with term limits for politicians so they won’t waste their time in office concerned about getting re-elected, and elected leader benefits – wages, health insurance, pensions – that are more in line with those of the average American.

From Sea to Shining Sea: Acadia National Park, Maine — Photo by Pat Bean

Hopefully, all of us can work together to fix these items, along with many other things.

But there is no place else I want to call home. What’s right with this country outweighs what’s wrong.

I thought this every day, when I woke up on the road as a lone woman traveler who felt safe. I can still get tears in my eyes when the Star Spangled Banner waves beneath a blue sky.

I am thankful to be an American, but I fully believe what Mark Twain wrote: “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”

The Wondering Wanderer’s blog pick of the day.

Bean’s Pat: The American Soldier http://tinyurl.com/lwna8ms As a grandmother of a Marine, and mother of three who served in the military, thank you Chris Martin.