A Tribute to Patriotism

Jayne and I attended our friend Hazel's Naturalization ceremony this morning. There, at the Tampa Convention Center, 311 individuals representing over 70 countries took an oath to uphold our country's honor. Here we were literally seated in a melting pot of diversity amongst people from Portugal, Bosnia, Australia, Africa, Peru, India, Mexico, Canada, the UK (where Hazel is from), Togo, Haiti, Honduras, Cuba (which had the largest representation there with over 40 people becoming citizens), Columbia, and Iran, just to name a few. As each country was named, their peoples stood and the audience applauded their journey from their land to our land.

When the Master of Ceremonies asked for people to stand who had ever served their country, Jayne proudly stood, as she had served in the Navy. I felt very proud of her and an unusually un-tapped feeling of patriotism swelled my heart. I know it's there, it just doesn't surface very often. When we sang the National Anthem with people of all different accents, the same feeling pumped though my veins.

While everyone was standing, they were asked to repeat an Oath of Allegiance:

"I hearby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation of purpose of evasion; so help me God."

More than 6,000 people become U.S. citizens every year in Tampa, sworn in one day a month at the Tampa Convention Center. Surrounded by loved ones, they watch a video on the history of citizenship, another with The President welcoming them to our country, and they clutch little flags and wave them to the country tune God Bless the USA (Proud to Be an American). That song, along with the National Anthem, has been playing non-stop in my head all morning.

Once the ceremony was over, each new citizen was given a certificate and there was a palpable feeling of relief and glee, and a feeling of, well...patriotism which simply means a love for one's country.

Being an American citizen is my birthright and I think we underestimate the meaningfulness of such a privilege. Today, along with Hazel and the 310 other new citizens, I felt a kind of re-birth and a new appreciation for our freedom.

Congratulations Hazel!

Lucy

Having grown up in Margate, New Jersey, the sight of a 65-foot high wooden elephant on the beach is old news. Natives don't even take a second glance at her. After all, there used to be diving horses just a few miles up the seaside in Atlantic City, and seals lounging on the beach a stone's throw away in Longport. An elephant just completes the circus, uh, I mean, circle.

Lucy, the Margate Elephant is now an National Historical Landmark and the town's water tower even sports her image. Once a motel, Lucy now hosts curious tourists and the occasional marriage ceremony. I snapped this picture in September on a recent trip back to New Jersey for my nephew Evan's wedding.

Go here to check out Lucy's history: The Official Site of Lucy the Elephant, Margate, NJ