Happy Columbus Day! I know that it is actually October 12, but a decree has gone out to turn Mondays into official government celebration days. Who made the decree? I don’t know. Remember the rhyme we learned in school, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue?” Remember the names, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria? I was privileged to visit a replica of one of the ships in Muskogee several years ago. It looked frail and tiny, to have braved ocean waves and storms and weeks at sea.
In 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 as a federal holiday. So, it has been around that long. Now, many are saying we shouldn’t observe it at all.
People of many races and nationalities make up our great country. We come from other lands with diverse customs and languages. And, some of our ancestors were here already here when Columbus got here. Indigenous people. Some of my ancestors were among them. I’m proud of my Cherokee ancestors, from Chief Moy Toy, all the way down. I’m proud of my Irish and English and Scottish ancestors. When I get to Heaven, I’m looking forward to meeting them. Some of my ancestors fought for the colonists in the American Revolution and some fought in the American Civil War. I’m proud of them all.
Personally, I’m glad we are not all the same. And I’m positive I don’t agree with many things that have happened in the past or are happening now, for that matter. But, I don’t want to erase them, scorn them, or blot them out of our history books. I’m glad we are not all of the same mind. I’m glad we don’t all look alike or think alike or have the same ancestry. What a dull world that would be!
I read a children’s story, years ago, about an imaginary animal who tried hard to be like the other animals so he could blend in and not look different. He grew a giraffe’s neck, sprouted a bird’s wings, a duck’s feet, and other accouterments. Pretty soon, he couldn’t fly, walk, swim, or even eat because he was no longer the animal he was meant to be. Nobody knew for sure what he was and he wasn’t sure either.
America has been called the melting pot of the world. People from many races and other places have come here because they wanted to be American. And, legal citizens are just that–Americans but even with that, we keep our identities. We are not all the same nor should we try to be. We do not think alike, act alike, dress alike or like the same foods. We have fond thoughts of old countries of our ancestors and we embrace the culture of many races. But, we are Americans. We have come through many perilous times and no other country has been able to conquer us. We are different but united. We have a history; some of it is wonderful, some, not so much. But, it is ours. Without trying to insult or offend anybody, we are what we are. And, Columbus did come here in 1492. Perhaps we shouldn’t forget but should remember.
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