Thirty years ago today, my daughter was born the day before my birthday. She was the best gift I ever received and she gives me hope for tomorrow.

She was always a child filled with energy. She could not sit still and early into our relationship as mother and daughter, she pretty much wore me out! Sleep was not important to her and my attention was what she craved. She didn’t want me to leave the room without her. She kept her eyes on me and followed me everywhere I went. She wanted me to play with her non-stop. The minute she came into my life – it changed forever.

Eighteen months later her brother was born and life in our household was never quiet. EVER! Energy and activity were the norm of the day. Coloring, putting puzzles together, reading books, playing house, and dressing up for plays was our routine. She was in charge and if there was an idle moment, she needed to fill it with something. Idlying was only for red lights and the minute it turned green – we had to go, go, go!

Life was not boring with her and no one was allowed to be bored!

As she grew, nothing changed. At times it was exhausting being her mother and I will not say it was easy to be in constant motion until you collapsed in bed!

I will not complain however because she has turned into a wonderful American patriot who is self-sufficient and loves the One who made her. She is now a mom herself and doing a wonderful job of raising two of the most beautiful granddaughters in the whole world (I know some of those reading this think they have the cutest ones ever but you’ll have to write that belief in your own blog!)

She is still full of energy and enthusiasm and everyday is filled with coloring, putting puzzles together, reading books, playing house and dressing up for plays! Nothing changes – yet everything does.

Our children grew up and become freedom loving adults just like we did. Family traditions move from one generation to the next and a root of family stability holds all generations together.

Why then can we not do the same for our traditions in our country? Why do those who live here not want what our founding fathers left us? Why do they want to tear down the greatest country ever built?

I believe the leaders of our nation help us to remember the leaders of our past. Those who remember with love and pride, instill that in us. Those that look on us as something that needs to be fixed, reshaped or redone, look upon us with disgust and negativity.

Just like in a family, if the leader is negative, no love pours out and the family foundation is rocky. That is what is happening in America today. Our leaders are extremely negative about America and are doing all they can to ruin the beauty of our traditions and our heritage.

When a family leader is “bad” and destroying the people within it, these are the options that family has:

• Option 1: The leader needs to find love and change his heart
• Option 2: The family needs to live with the bad leader and change themselves
• Option 3: The leader needs to divorce himself from the family
• Option 4: The family needs to leave the leader

The leaders in our country need to heed these options. We are praying they will choose Option 1 and if they don’t, we will choose Option 4.

As we celebrate my daughter’s thirty years of enthusiasm, life and love and when she blows out all those candles, I’ll be saying a prayer of thanks for every day of love she has given me. I’ll add a P.S. and ask the One who instills love in our heart to instill it in those who lead us. Without that happening, Option 4 looms ahead.

Happy Birthday Pumpkin – you made this Mom proud! I love you more than any words can be found in the English language and you are one wonderful, awesome, fantastic woman!