When folks ask why I like America, my reply is easy.
I like America as a result of it’s a place the place peculiar folks can reside extraordinary lives. That has definitely been true in my life.
I grew up believing that in case you labored exhausting, handled folks with respect and stayed true to your rules, there have been no limits to what you would accomplish. These classes formed me as a younger girl, guided me via my youth, and finally led me into public service.
I by no means imagined that at some point I’d develop into the primary girl to function New Hampshire’s lawyer common. I definitely by no means anticipated that I’d have the privilege of representing my state within the U.S. Senate or, at this time, serving as governor of the place I’ve all the time referred to as dwelling. That journey is just potential in America.
Our nation has all the time believed that chance belongs to everybody, not simply the lucky few. We consider folks needs to be judged by their character, their work ethic, and their willingness to serve others. We consider tomorrow might be higher than at this time, and that each technology has the prospect to construct on what got here earlier than. That optimism is one in all America’s best strengths.
Public service has given me the chance to fulfill folks from each nook of New Hampshire and each stroll of life. I’ve visited household farms which were handed down for generations. I’ve met entrepreneurs who began companies with little greater than an thought and a willingness to work exhausting. I’ve sat with first responders, lecturers, nurses, veterans and volunteers whose names might by no means seem in historical past books however whose contributions strengthen their communities each single day.
They remind me that America’s greatness has by no means trusted well-known folks. It has all the time trusted good folks.
Service has additionally formed my household. My husband served the nation as an Air Pressure pilot. Quickly after we had been married, our nation was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, and he deployed abroad.
At the moment, our household’s custom of service continues. Each of our kids selected to attend the Air Pressure Academy, following of their father’s footsteps. Watching them make that call has crammed me with large satisfaction as a result of it displays one thing I consider deeply: Freedom is sustained by every new technology selecting to serve one thing higher than themselves.
Dwelling in New Hampshire reinforces that lesson every single day. Our state’s motto, “Dwell Free or Die,” is a reminder that liberty carries each blessings and duties. New Hampshire has lengthy embraced the values which have outlined America since its founding: independence, self-government, private duty and a willingness to assist your neighbors once they want you most.
Whereas we’re proud to be the freest state within the nation, these beliefs have by no means belonged solely to at least one state. They belong to each American.
As America approaches its 250th birthday, I hope we take time to understand not solely the extraordinary occasions that formed our historical past but in addition the Individuals who proceed to form our future.
Our Founders entrusted us with one thing outstanding. They created a nation constructed on liberty, consultant authorities, and the enduring perception that each individual possesses inherent dignity and God-given rights. For 250 years, generations of Individuals have carried that promise ahead. Now, it’s our flip.
That’s the reason I like America. It’s a nation that asks every technology to depart it stronger than they discovered it. It invitations peculiar folks to do extraordinary issues in service of each other. And after 250 years, it stays the best pressure for freedom the world has ever recognized.
I can’t consider a greater inheritance to move on, or a higher privilege than serving to protect it for the generations nonetheless to return.
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