Ok. I love, Love, LOVE this.

I’ve been a huge fan of Heather Cox Richardson (it feels weird to say “fan” of a historian, but history has been diluted and reshaped in the age of Trump) for quite a while now.

Republicans (more specifically MAGA) which if you still identify as a republican, you’re part of MAGA whether you choose to accept that or not - has co-opted patriotism and made the concept more exclusive than inclusive. And we all know who that exclusivity applies to.

How many of us get the icks when we walk or drive past a house with a giant American flag or multiple flags? Does that same feeling apply to American flags prominently displayed on clothing and cars?

It didn’t used to be this way. I have so many wonderful memories tied to my love of country. As a child, my neighbor participated in the Olympics and was the first Olympic flag-bearer in USA luge history during the 1984 opening ceremonies. I was 12 years old and watched, tears streaming down my face, overcome with pride.

Every summer vacation as a child was planned around American history. The Smithsonian, Monticello, Mount Vernon, Philadelphia. I’ve sat in church pews where Benjamin Franklin once sat. I love being an American. I loved retracing the steps of historical figures I read about in books.

I reckon with our history because I believe in our promise. Right now, that promise has never felt further away.

Let’s reclaim our patriotism. Let’s tell stories of what it means to be a REAL AMERICAN. Through military service, education, volunteerism, helping and getting to know our neighbors. Stories of participating in and protecting our democracy. Sharing stories and memories of when we first felt proud to be an American and how we fight to preserve the country we love.

I’m on board with this idea. I’m going to make an effort to do one post a week of my love for our country and what it really means to be an American - this country, with all its flaws and fractures, it’s still ours - we can’t let them take that from us.

Who’s with me and more importantly Heather?