THIS IS MY COUNTRY!

Sitting in sacrament meeting today my heart was basically beating out of my chest, but sadly time ran out to get up and bear my testimony. Well, I decided that if I didn't get up to say it all to my ward I could at least put it on my blog where everyone I know and love and then some could see it. Well, I then realized I've born my testimony tons of times, but not in this manner... What am I speaking of? I'm speaking of my testimony and gratitude that I have for this wonderful nation in which I live... a nation where I can choose to disagree with my neighbor, but still get along with them; a place where if I don't like how the country is being run I can  choose to vote that person or those persons out of office. I have a choice in how I live my life. I have a choice in how my country is governed! As I was sitting there in my sacrament meeting I noticed on the program sitting next to me there was a quote that basically said precisely all that I thought... "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!"-Patrick Henry... when I came home I decided to look it up... well, there is this to add to it. " For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." This country is such a wonderful one to live in... it was designed by the hand of GOD and he designed by men of all types of faiths. Men who didn't want to be told what they "had to do." Now, going on with the whole patriotic theme as I was sitting there during the passing of the sacrament a few thoughts came to my mind and I had the thought to actually read through the national anthem... Have you ever actually taken the time to just stop and read The Star Spangled Banner? The lyrics to it just shine through... most people know the first verse, but it is behind the words of the other 3 versus that struck me hard today and I realized how thankful I am to this country...

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

this is the land of the free and home of the brave and we have the power to keep it that way! In my parents den area there is a copy of a painting I had framed for them... it is the signing of the Constitution. To me that great document is a document for all mankind. The Constitution along with The Declaration of Independence are inspired documents written by the hand of God. These Documents also remind me of another wonderful exclamation of Liberty that I am quite fond of that was also done in this great land long before it became the United States of America. This is THE TITLE OF LIBERTY written by every young LDS girl's dream guy Captain Moroni! Alma 46:12-13 " 12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—"

what a grand piece of history to add to all the other wonderful documents of this land!
In closing I'm going to stray a bit from my testimony and encourage all of my friends and family whomever else reads this blog to vote this November. Don't just vote to do it though... vote thinking of your future, you children's future, your grandchildren's future, or if nothing else the future of this GREAT nation!
Now, I leave this with each of you and let you know that more than anything else in the world I am ETERNALLY grateful to my Father in Heaven that I live in this great nation in which religious freedom is ever present and that I have the decision to choose how I want to live my life. I leave with you my testimony and my love forever... in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Please enjoy this song that is very to my heart sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.