Today as this nation votes for President, my thoughts turned to my rights, endowed upon me as an American. I wish to express my gratitude to my new homeland. Thank you America, for accepting me as a citizen and granting me the right to vote.
America has welcomed me ever since I first arrived here many years ago. I am an immigrant, but I am a “real” American. I am not made to feel less deserving, because I was not born here.
O.K. I cannot be President, but that I believe to be fair. But my daughter can be President, or one of my three sons.
I often wonder if I would have felt as welcome if I had chosen to immigrate to another country. Elsewhere in the world I would probably always be viewed as Irish. Acceptance of my children might be dependent upon how Irish their accents sound.
In the United States my status as a true American has never been questioned. I am a fully-fledged, voting American citizen.
I have such fond memories of becoming an American citizen. My co-workers in Daytona Beach, Florida threw me a party the day I returned to work after my citizenship ceremony in Orlando. Everyone hugged me, welcoming me into the fold. Any other country might not consider my children or even my grandchildren as “real” citizens, but here everyone celebrated.
Even if I sound a little different when I talk, call things by different names, or come out with sayings nobody understands, everyone still considers me as American as they are.
And so, as I cast my ballot today, I felt nothing but gratitude towards America. No matter the outcome of the election, I had my say.
And talking of having their say, yesterday my kids cast their ballots at school. They arrived home full of the joys of democracy. They practiced voting as they learned all about the election process. My little girl kept asking me if her candidate is going to win. I explained we will have to wait for the votes to be counted on Tuesday night.
“But what if he doesn’t win?” she pleaded.
Her five-year old brother answered emphatically:
“You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.”
I laughed. But as I thought about his answer, I realized how appropriate these words are.
In a way, that’s what makes this democracy great. No matter the outcome of today’s election, our government will transform or continue based upon the wishes of the people.
“We get what we get, and we don’t throw a fit.”
May God Bless America.
Slán agus beannacht leat!
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
[email protected] says
November 6, 2012 at 1:51 pmHi Mairead, We all depend on our fellow citizens to participate in the representative republic that is the United States of America. Your pride and enthusiasm is shared and appreciated by this humble citizen, and voting is still a right I cherish.
Take care,
Brian.
Irish American Mom says
November 6, 2012 at 7:07 pmBrian – I cherish my voting right too. I think that’s why I got my citizenship instead of continuing to work on a green card. I really believe that choosing to live in America requires total participation in the electoral process, and that it was my duty to accept the honor of citizenship.
All the best,
Mairéad
Vladimir says
November 6, 2012 at 3:11 pmI hope (and I’m sure) that me and my family will soon join you. This article is very important one. Thank you very much for it. God bless you and your family. God bless America.
Irish American Mom says
November 6, 2012 at 6:59 pmThank you Vladimir. I hope you make it to America very soon.
Grammy says
November 6, 2012 at 5:43 pmLove it! “You get what you get and don’t throw a fit” ….that young man should run for president, he’d have my vote!!
Irish American Mom says
November 6, 2012 at 7:03 pmGrammy – I asked my kids today if anyone would like to be the President. My eldest boy replied “No, I’d have to work too hard.” Then he questioned again – “How much does the President earn?” When he found out it was less than a million he said: “No way – definitely too much work.” My little man who said: “You get what you get and don’t throw a fit” answered that he thinks he would like to do it. Who knows?????
Thanks for stopping by,
Mairéad
Aimee says
November 6, 2012 at 7:49 pmI am very glad to be a part of a country who is excepting of people from all walks of life. Happy you feel so welcome and ‘at home’ here…it’s a real blessing to have so many different people in America. I love running into and meeting people who have a different national birth- it’s so fun to get to know different cultures through them! We’re lucky to have people like you here in America. 🙂
Irish American Mom says
November 7, 2012 at 8:07 amAimee – I agree. America’s diversity is one of her greatest strengths and I am happy to be part of this melting pot.
Mairéad
Cheryl Barker says
November 7, 2012 at 11:08 amMairead, so wonderful to hear your story and hear your perspective. We are truly so blessed here in this nation where all citizens have the right to vote — and where each vote is equal to the other.
Saw your autumn in KY post. Beautiful pics! And I love that quote by Bryant, too. Happy autumn!
Irish American Mom says
November 8, 2012 at 8:15 amThanks so much, Cheryl. Happy autumn to you too.
Bonnie Banters says
November 11, 2012 at 12:05 amBeautiful commentary…and thank you for reminding us how fortunate we are to be American!
Irish American Mom says
November 11, 2012 at 9:25 amThanks, Bonnie.