The Statue of Liberty is the first welcome sign immigrants see when they are entering the United States. She was a gift from the French. Although our European friends paid for her, it was our responsibility to foot the bill for the pedestal. Times were tough and a young future president stepped up to make it happen. Theodore Roosevelt was only nineteen, however, he had a dream to raise enough funds to complete the joint effort. Many who donated contributed less than a dollar. Every dollar counted. The visionaries never stopped believing.
It's not the millionaires in this country who make this country great -- it's the guy who digs into his pocket and gives his hard-earned dollar to someone in need when he can barely afford to pay his own bills. It's the woman who volunteers her time at a soup kitchen to feed the unemployed worker who struggles to find work. It's the immigrant who arrives in our country for the first time with nothing but a dream and says, "wow, look at all the opportunity around me. I can work two or three jobs here. I can save my money and raise a family. One day I can own my own business."
I'm celebrating my birthday today on the 4th of July; I find myself a blessed man. I have everything I need. Rather than ask for anything today, I would like to make this pledge to you: I pledge to share my stories here every day until the day I die. My blogs, my memoirs, and my novels will always be available on the internet for free. Like the dollar each of our forefathers donated to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty, these stories are given to you from my heart. As long as there are others who believe their "dollar" can make a difference, there will be hope. I will never stop believing. And I will never stop giving. What do you have to give the world today? What is is your pledge?
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