All Kinds of Kinds

Friday morning Tess and I were about to walk into her apartment building when the National Anthem started playing on campus.  Without really thinking we both turned to where we knew the flag was and held our hands over our hearts and started to sing.  While we were singing I started getting choked up.  Right now our country seems a little crazy with all the crime, political rifts, immortality, corrupt people, and the hottest topic of late: the government shutdown.  Despite all of these things, I can't help but feel proud to be an American.  Even with all of these problems, it's still the best place in the world to live.  It makes me so sad when I hear people bashing our country or saying awful things about our leaders.  I know I don't have the answers or the confidence to do any better.  I always want to ask those who are making the biggest deal out of everything if they have the knowledge to do better?  Maybe they do, I don't know.  All I know is that our leaders are human.  They make mistakes, so do we, but I believe that most of them are doing what they think will be best for our country.  At least I hope they are.  So, I've decided the greatest contribution I can make is to pray for them.  I pray for the leaders of our nation to be guided by the Sprit.  I know prayer works.  My prayers may not affect the leaders of the nation, but I know they affect me and bring me peace when I hear troubling news.  I know that we'll be alright.  

I was reminded of a video that made me think of America.  We have so many different people from so many different backgrounds, doing so many different things.  I love Miranda Lambert, and she has a song All Kinds of Kinds.  I think it describes America very well and how it wouldn't be as great as it is if there weren't "all kinds of kinds."  Now the key (at least in my opinion) is to find it in us to love "all kinds of kinds." Our country will be a better place if we can all just be a little kinder.