I won the lottery the day I was born in America | Paul W. Smith
See ‘USA 250’ lawn masterpiece take shape in timelapse
An Alabama man created a patriotic lawn art, honoring America’s 250th birthday.
Anastasiia Riddle
Happy first Monday of America’s next 250 years!
I hope you had a safe and fun 4th of July celebration.
As various news outlets have breathlessly told us about many Americans who are no longer proud to be Americans, and some who also believe that we (America) certainly won’t exist for 250 more years, I am choosing to realize how lucky I am to be here and full of gratitude.
This thinking came to me as I was contacted online, telling me, “Congratulations! You’ve won $8.00 in the Michigan Lottery!”
I lamented to my self how unlucky I have been having never won a big prize after all those lottery tickets I have “invested in” over the years.
And then it hit me.
I actually won one of the biggest lottery prizes ever. I was born in the United States of America!
Talk about good luck.
My father’s family could trace their lineage back to the Mayflower. My mother’s family could trace their lineage back to the boat that delivered them from Lebanon.
What a blessing to be able to understand what it means to be “all-American” from the start. What a further blessing to understand what it’s like for people to leave their original home to come to a scary new country and give up what they had, so that their children and future generations could have an opportunity they could not have in the old country.
I feel fortunate to have had grandparents who spoke perfect English, and grandparents who struggled with English as a second language.
There is no doubt that this has fueled my love for America.
And, I’m not alone.
Paul W. Smith is host of “Focus” on WJR-AM (760) from noon to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.
This content is sourced from www.detroitnews.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
