Faith, Family, Freedom and Why I’m Proud to Be an American

Not because of one vote. Not because of one issue. Not even because of one meeting.

But because you could feel how much people care.

That is what I felt this week.

I saw people with strong convictions. I saw frustration. I saw concern. I saw people who love this community but do not always agree on what is best for it. I also saw a reminder that how we disagree matters.

And as we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, I keep coming back to three words.

Faith.

Family.

Freedom.

Those words mean something to me. They are not just pretty words to put on a sign or a campaign card. They are part of who I am, how I was raised and what I believe makes a community strong.

When I think about America, I do not only think about monuments, speeches and fireworks, although I love those too. I think about family.

I think about going to my great-grandparents’ house, Mamie and Carl Reaves, and my Papaw Carl making my favorite homemade peach ice cream. I think about family get-togethers, eating watermelon with my cousins and singing hymns while others played guitar and piano. I think about Mamaw and Papaw West’s place, fishing at their pond, and later taking my own children back to that same spot to fish.

I think about taking my kids to their grandparents’ house so they could play with their cousins and make the same kinds of memories I had been blessed to make.

That is what family does. It gives children roots, stories and a place to belong.

And that is part of what I believe we are fighting to protect.

I am proud to be an American.

I am proud to live in a country founded on the belief that our rights do not come from government. They come from God. The Declaration of Independence reminds us that we are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Those words are not just old words on parchment. They still matter.

They matter when citizens show up to meetings, when parents ask questions and when taxpayers expect accountability. They matter when families are concerned about the future of their community. They even matter when we disagree.

Our founders understood something we should never forget: government gets its power from the consent of the governed. That means “we the people” are not supposed to sit quietly on the sidelines and hope everything works out. We have a responsibility to pay attention, to ask questions, to speak up and to hold our leaders accountable.

I believe many of our local leaders care deeply about this community and are trying to serve well. But government alone cannot preserve our values for us. If families, churches, parents, neighbors and citizens stop standing for faith, family and freedom, those values will not protect themselves.

That is not being divisive. That is being American.

A free people should be able to talk openly about taxes, budgets, schools, libraries, growth, public safety, roads, children, values and the direction of our community. We should be able to have hard conversations without turning every disagreement into a personal attack.

We should be able to stand for faith, family and freedom without being mocked for it. We should be able to ask questions without being dismissed. We should be able to defend children and parental rights without being labeled hateful. And we should be able to disagree with someone across the room without forgetting they are still our neighbor.

That is where trust and integrity matter.

Trust is built when people tell the truth, even when it would be easier not to. It is built when leaders are transparent, when citizens are respected and when public bodies remember they serve the people.

Integrity matters in public life, but it also matters in the hallway after the meeting. It matters in what we say when emotions are high. It matters in whether we calm a situation down or make it worse. It matters in whether we repeat something we heard or take the time to find out if it is true.

I have said many times that I believe in transparency, and I do. But transparency is not only about documents, votes and public records. It is also about honesty. It is about being willing to say what you mean, stand behind what you believe and still treat people decently.

None of that means we avoid hard issues.

We cannot.

As a community, we have to be willing to talk about the things that matter most. We have to be willing to protect children, defend parental rights and ask whether public institutions are serving families well. We have to be honest that age-appropriate standards matter.

Protecting children’s innocence should not be controversial.

Children deserve time to be children. They deserve watermelon summers, fishing ponds, cousins, grandparents, bedtime prayers, scraped knees, bike rides, ballgames, books that stir their imagination and adults who take seriously the responsibility of guarding their hearts and minds.

Those concerns are not hateful. They are responsible.

But how we carry those concerns matters too.

As Christians, we are called to speak truth. We are also called to speak it with grace. That does not mean we water down our beliefs. It does not mean we stay silent. It does not mean we pretend right and wrong do not exist.

It means we remember who we represent.

That means being Christian in the way we speak, the way we disagree, the way we protect children and the way we refuse to spread rumors.

It means standing for truth without using truth as a weapon.

That is not weakness. To me, that is strength under control.

Putnam County is a special place. I know we say that often, but I believe it. We live in a place where people still wave. People still hold doors. Churches still pray. Volunteers still show up. Neighbors still bring food when someone is hurting. First responders answer the call. Veterans are honored. Families still gather for ballgames, church suppers, parades and fireworks.

That is America at its best.

Not perfect. Not without problems. Not without disagreements.

But still good. Still worth defending. Still worth improving. Still worth loving.

As we celebrate July 4, I hope we remember the men and women who made this freedom possible. I hope we thank our military, our veterans and the families who have carried the cost of liberty. I hope we stand when the flag passes by. I hope we say the Pledge of Allegiance with gratitude. I hope we teach our children that freedom was never free.

When I see people choose not to stand for the flag, say the Pledge of Allegiance or join in prayer, I will be honest, it grieves me. I pray we never forget the rights we have been afforded and the sacrifices made by others so we could live in freedom. I will continue to fight for Putnam County while being bold.

And I hope we remember that patriotism is not just what we say on Independence Day. It is not just a vacation day, a barbecue or a day at the lake. It should remind us that freedom carries meaning, responsibility and a dream still worth living up to.

It is how we live the rest of the year.

It is showing up when decisions are made. It is caring about your neighbor. It is telling the truth. It is expecting accountability. It is defending the innocent, honoring family, protecting freedom and praying for our community, our state and our nation.

I love this country.

I love this community.

I love the values that shaped both.

Faith, family and freedom are not just words to me. They are the foundation of a life, a community and a nation still worth fighting for.

The American Dream is still worth fighting for. Our children’s innocence is worth fighting for. Putnam County is worth fighting for.

We can disagree and still be respectful. We can stand firm and still be kind. We can speak truth and still show grace. We can love our country enough to celebrate what is good and work to correct what is not.

That is why I am proud to be an American.

And that is why I still believe our best days can be ahead.