There are numerous things to be thankful for in our country. I strongly feel that the freedom of speech is one of the greatest gifts we have to be thankful for. Being able to write this article is a freedom that one should appreciate. In many countries expressing your point of view would be punishable.

I am thankful for the opportunity to read the Bible, and to attend worship services wherever and whenever I choose to do so. To think that in some countries reading from the Bible is prohibited, and attending church is not allowed, sends shivers down my spine.

I am thankful for the right to vote for the person that I want to lead my country. I am thankful for being able to openly discuss politics, religion, and other important issues.

I am most thankful for the people that have fought, and those that are fighting now to preserve my right to be able to enjoy the freedoms that so many take for granted. I am thankful for being able to disagree with ideas or cultures that I do not believe in.

I enjoy the privilege of being able to stand before the Flag of the United States, and solemnly pledge my allegiance to that Flag, and all that it stands for. I am thankful for being able to say a prayer at the opening of a sporting event, a high school graduation, or a public event. Just to be able to pray publicly is a freedom that no one can should be able to take away from us.

We take for granted the many freedoms that we, as a Nation, have. When we allow our freedoms to be stripped from us, then we diminish our power, we diminish our effectiveness as citizens of a great and powerful country, we diminish our ability to be good parents, and worthwhile individuals.

I am thankful for the opportunity to raise my children to believe that there is an Almighty God, greater than any human, a God that listens to us, and instills in us the desire to be better than we are, a God that has given us so many little things to be thankful for.

I am thankful for the person that believes differently than I. Because in believing differently, we enable ourselves to be unique individuals. I am thankful that each of us can believe in what we want to believe in, not just what someone tells us we should believe in. I am thankful that each and every human being has a mind of their own, and the ability to express themselves in whatever way they desire.

Learn more about this author, Debbie Yowell.
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