Bondhead88
Expert
This has been a ride over the past three years. We never planned on staying here or being this close to so many.
When we first moved down here I had told my family we wanted to be respectful of our host country. While we would always stood at attention when the American National Anthem was sung we never put our hand over our heart, not out of disrespect but because Canada was our home and our heart was there.
When the pledge of allegiance was said we stood with everybody but we did not say the pledge. We were Canadians and I wanted to respect your pledge by standing with you but Canada was my home, my pledge was there.
We did not buy or own an American Flag and I would never allow it to be disrespected because I would never allow mine to be and we always had a Canadian flag in our home.
Things have changed. We had joined a Team of American Missionaries and I spoke with my wife and son. I did not want anything to get in the way of what I believe God has called us to do. I told them we would leave behind our home and heritage so we could better work with our new Team. I wanted us to blend and be able to be indistinguishable from them.
I asked my son who has been raised to be a proud Canadian to lay that down and become a proud American. Being a Missionary is the most important thing in our life and I did not want anything to be a division between me and the other Team members.
We took down our Canadian flags, we raised American ones. We put aside our anthem and learned a new one. I put aside my pledge and learned a new one. All the other members of the Team are American. Our family have joined them They are already American by birth or adoption and we decided to become one with them.
I have never been good at half loving something so we choose to love the USA.
Tonight the man my daughter is dating told her for the first time he loved her and she told him for the first time she loved him. He is American. I have seen how much he loves his country (it is his by adoption not by birth). So tonight in Church as we sang the national anthem and we put our hands over our hearts for the first time and sang the anthem together as a family.
As I walked my daughter back to her bus that was heading back to college she told me again and again how Fred had told her he loved her and how she loved him.
We talked about many things in that short walk. I told her how I had seen how much he loved his country, how he cared for it's future and for the people here. I told her she needed to learn to love it the same way. I told her it was time to learn all she could about it. She needed to learn the Pledge of Allegiance by heart. I told her to get a copy of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and learn all she can about this countries history.
I told her it was alright to have fond memories of Canada but if this was to become her home and not just a place she was passing through for a few years she needed to love it as much as Fred did. I told her to become the best American girl she could and do all things the American way. She walked with me arm in arm and said she would. She is in love and in that love she is giving up her old home for a new one.
We are leaving our family in Canada and making a new family with our Team. That Team is American Team and we to are determined to be the best Americans where ever we are serving our God as Missionaries. I am glad for the freedom to be able to do that. This will be a learning curve for an old dog like me but I am so glad for the grace of my friends and my God as I learn new tricks.
God Bless my family for willing to do this and God Bless America.
When we first moved down here I had told my family we wanted to be respectful of our host country. While we would always stood at attention when the American National Anthem was sung we never put our hand over our heart, not out of disrespect but because Canada was our home and our heart was there.
When the pledge of allegiance was said we stood with everybody but we did not say the pledge. We were Canadians and I wanted to respect your pledge by standing with you but Canada was my home, my pledge was there.
We did not buy or own an American Flag and I would never allow it to be disrespected because I would never allow mine to be and we always had a Canadian flag in our home.
Things have changed. We had joined a Team of American Missionaries and I spoke with my wife and son. I did not want anything to get in the way of what I believe God has called us to do. I told them we would leave behind our home and heritage so we could better work with our new Team. I wanted us to blend and be able to be indistinguishable from them.
I asked my son who has been raised to be a proud Canadian to lay that down and become a proud American. Being a Missionary is the most important thing in our life and I did not want anything to be a division between me and the other Team members.
We took down our Canadian flags, we raised American ones. We put aside our anthem and learned a new one. I put aside my pledge and learned a new one. All the other members of the Team are American. Our family have joined them They are already American by birth or adoption and we decided to become one with them.
I have never been good at half loving something so we choose to love the USA.
Tonight the man my daughter is dating told her for the first time he loved her and she told him for the first time she loved him. He is American. I have seen how much he loves his country (it is his by adoption not by birth). So tonight in Church as we sang the national anthem and we put our hands over our hearts for the first time and sang the anthem together as a family.
As I walked my daughter back to her bus that was heading back to college she told me again and again how Fred had told her he loved her and how she loved him.
We talked about many things in that short walk. I told her how I had seen how much he loved his country, how he cared for it's future and for the people here. I told her she needed to learn to love it the same way. I told her it was time to learn all she could about it. She needed to learn the Pledge of Allegiance by heart. I told her to get a copy of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and learn all she can about this countries history.
I told her it was alright to have fond memories of Canada but if this was to become her home and not just a place she was passing through for a few years she needed to love it as much as Fred did. I told her to become the best American girl she could and do all things the American way. She walked with me arm in arm and said she would. She is in love and in that love she is giving up her old home for a new one.
We are leaving our family in Canada and making a new family with our Team. That Team is American Team and we to are determined to be the best Americans where ever we are serving our God as Missionaries. I am glad for the freedom to be able to do that. This will be a learning curve for an old dog like me but I am so glad for the grace of my friends and my God as I learn new tricks.
God Bless my family for willing to do this and God Bless America.
