Dear America,

First off, I want to start by saying thank you. Thank you for giving me a place I can safely and confidently call home. I feel like lately you have been getting a lot of disrespect, and as a proud American, I say that is entirely unacceptable.

Your colors and freedom have allowed me to pursue all my dreams and beyond. As a citizen of this country I have been able to make the choice to go to college and work hard for a degree. I have been able to lay my head down at night, knowing there are brave men and women risking their lives to fight for my freedom.

I can’t imagine how it must have looked and felt to see your citizens destroying property and causing hatred on the day you gained a new leader. I can understand we are all different and all have our own opinions, but I can’t understand hurting a place that has given me so much.

I only pray that that as citizens of your beautiful and vast land, we can come together instead of spreading apart. For God created all of us to look, feel and think completely different so that we may learn. We are different so that we can help and teach one another. For if we were all the same, we would never continue to grow. We would never advance in technology, language, culture and so much more.

Thank you for showing me that when I work hard and push myself past my limits, I can achieve anything. There are so many times when I feel like giving up because it seems so hard, but then I remember how many chances and people there are around me to help me get there.

Thank you for making life not only rewarding, but fun and something we can all cherish. And most importantly, thank you for being a place where everyone has a chance to thrive and be who they want to be.

I will continue to pray for your peace and unity in your country. I will continue to pray for those that feel they are not accepted here, because somehow they are blind to how accepting you really are. And I will also pray for those that think it should be easy to be successful here. It’s not supposed to be easy; but that’s what makes working hard worth it in the end.

There is so much more I could say thank you for, but I’m hoping this letter is a start to show my gratitude and that all of your citizens feel proud to be a part of the land of the free and the home of the brave. Truly, one nation, under God. I know I am.

Sincerely,

A Proud American