Many of us, whether we admit it or not, got caught up in the World Cup fever which recently concluded with Spain winning the whole thing. The pomp and circumstance and the pageantry was a sight to behold for many of us in the USA. We also felt that American pride when the tourists from all over the world absolutely fell in love with our country.
From line dancing in Dallas, to visiting a Bucees in Alabama, to eating ribs at a Texas Roadhouse and a 2 A.M. visit to a Waffle House, our guests were just mesmerized by things we see and do every day. Their social media posts were just a thing of beauty from the moment they landed on our soil.
Then someone posted this one line and it really made me stop and think. “You want to hate America, watch the news; You want to fall in love with America, drive across it.” My friends, that is strong. Amazingly strong. That was on my mind a few weeks ago as I drove to the beach.
Had visited my daughter and granddaughter in Mississippi and then made my way to Orange Beach and had to go through Mobile, Alabama. Not sure if you have never had to drive through Mobile but it is a little confusing with so many roads converging on the city. I just noticed signs that pointed us in the right direction, interstates that flowed perfectly, people smiling, beautiful scenery and a realization that America is still beautiful. People enjoying the nice day, friendly folks when I stopped for gas and on and on and on.
I wrote a story a few years ago about counting all the red cars on the road. It was an experiment to seek out the red cars but it was more than that. It conditioned my mind that if we only look for the good and the positive, we will find it. A lot of it. On my four hour drive, I turned the radio off and just observed this wonderful country, albeit a small part of it, and it made me smile.
Next time you drive a long distance, turn that radio off and just observe God’s great gift to us and talk to people and you will see how wonderful they are as well.
America, forever beautiful.
