My Version of Why I Love Her

A long time ago, John Wayne recorded a recitation called "Why I Love Her".  It was a poinant narritive penned by John Mitchum to the tune of  "America The Beautiful".  The best part of my profession is travelling throughout the United States and seeing first-hand on a daily basis what make up this land.  This experience has given me an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to be an American. No where on earth is there a country so diverse in its people, its land, its beauty and its faith.  In a world of dispair, poverty, war and strife, it is America who strives to make the world a better place. Following, is a renditon of my version of that classic piece voiced by the Duke.

You ask me why I love her, give me time and I’ll explain. Have you ever seen the sun set on Georgia’s Island coast at St. Simon’s pier? Would you delight in being the first in America to see the sun rise at Cadillac Mountain in Maine? Can you imagine the cool clean waters and tall northern evergreens way up north in the land of ten thousand lakes that makes Minnesota the paradise that it is? Do the pristine palm trees way down south along the Rio Grande in McAllen, Texas make you warm on a cold winter’s day? Can Rhode Island’s massive ocean frontage cause you to gaze for hours at the choppy white capped sea?

Did you leave your heart along the California coast somewhere from San Diego to San Francisco travelling the miles of winding and awe inspiring Pacific Coast Highway overlooking the Ocean? Do mountain sides of golden aspens in early autumn in the heart of Colorado fill your eyes with wonder? Can the Rocky Mountains in Northern Utah be blanketed in winter with the “Greatest Snow on Earth?” Does the rich, black soil of Idaho make you feel blessed for our natural resources?

Have you ever floated with a big old truck inner tube on a summer’s day down the Itchetucknee River in Central Florida where cool and crystal clear water flows from a natural spring? Can the smell of spicy Cajun food make your mouth water with hunger along Highway 49 in the heart of Mississippi where Spanish Moss hangs from live oak trees? Do the expansive prairie plains of Nebraska inspire you to reach for the horizon?

Have you ever been to Washington Crossing State Park beside the Delaware River in New Jersey where General Washington and his men gave up their Christmas holiday to fight for our freedom? Does the Arch at St. Louis make you think of fearless settlers who raced west in a hostile land with not much more than a dream and a prayer? When you see cactus and dusty mountains at Tombstone, Arizona, does it give life to a righteous lawman who tamed a wild west? Have you ever tasted a “ramp” harvested in spring from the mountains in North Eastern Tennessee? Does the mighty Ohio River with the skyline of Cincinnati as a backdrop viewed from Devou Park on the Kentucky side delight you with picturesque wonder?

When you see the unmistakable Mount Rainer in Washington State, do you marvel in astonishment? On Mt. Washington across from the three rivers where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers converge to form the Ohio, do you admire the city of Pittsburgh at its famous scenic “point” and pay homage to workers who laid the foundation for our country's historic buildings and industry in her steel mills? Have you witnessed the expanse of Lake Michigan from Chicago’s shoreline? Do you offer a tribute to our ancestors when you see the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor? Does Oklahoma’s Native American heritage remind you of a people who came before us?

From Puget Sound in the Great Northwest to Islamorada in the Florida Keys, from Chula Vista along the Baja California border to Bar Harbor, Maine, from The Mackinaw Straits of Michigan to South Padre Island, Texas on the Gulf, from amber waves of grain in the heartland to the Carolina pines, from the gigantic Sequoias in the Golden State to the bright red maples of Vermont in fall, my heart beats with pride and emotion for my beautiful America. You ask why I love her. There are a million reasons why. God shed thy grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

Thank you for letting me describe my beautiful America.