Today is Memorial Day. I am so very grateful for those that have given their lives for our freedom. When I was a child my Dad was in the Marine Corps. I remember him coming home from one of 3 tours in Vietnam and wishing he could stay forever. When he left, I tried giving him a kiss for every day he'd be gone from me, and my Mom had to pry me from his neck as he left with tears in his eyes.
When I was older my Dad was stationed in Morocco and was able to take my Mom, my sister, and me with him. It was a fascinating place for a young girl. This was one of my favorite times in my childhood because I was able to see my Dad almost every single day. I had short hair and could pass for a boy which was quite advantageous in a Muslim country. My dad would take me on trips with him and his friend (whom I found out later was the King of the Berber tribe). The Berber King was a very nice man in the eyes of a child. However, as much as I enjoyed being with my Dad it wasn't hard to miss the lack of freedom women and girls had back then in Morocco. My Mom took my sister and I to a rug factory where there were kids younger than I was and they were working from morning to night. Not all kids could go to school.
The poverty was almost unbearable to see. Even as a child my heart would break for the Moroccan kids who didn't have much. While hunting with my Dad & the Berber King, we frequently were treated to meals by some of the locals. They lived in mud huts with tin roofs. The cooked in mud ovens outside. The water was not clean. Yet, they fed us a feast. Their hospitality was amazing.
Living in Morocco made me appreciate what I had in the U.S.. I am so grateful for the experience because it made me appreciate EVERYTHING I have. I know Morocco is a different, more advanced country now and I'm glad. I would love to go back and visit but I will always live in these great United States of America. Where we have a democracy, not a dictator. Where people can work hard and achieve the american dream. Where there is freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, freedom of speech, etc. We have clean water, representatives in government, and military personnel willing to die to maintain our freedom.
God bless America!
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