A DEDICATION TO OUR MANY FOREFATHERS...
A didication to our many forefathers...where would we be without them???
NO MATTER WHERE WE ROAM
O! To be an emigrant & sail across the sea,
leaving a rich-life behind in search of one that's free;
Saying good-bye to family, a sister or a brother,
holding dear to heart, your father and mother;
Only looking back to those who stayed behind,
while gazing across the blue, not knowing what you'll find;
Waiting to catch first glimpse of a new & glorious land,
with an adventure-filled spirit only few men understand.
O! To be a pioneer, replacing white billowed sails
with horses, saddles & wagons, trudging dry & dusty trails;
The never-ending toil of clearing land & planting seeds,
forming a colony to supply basic needs;
Falling trees for logs, making the cabin a home,
feeling free to 'hang your hat' no matter where you roam;
Gathering to break bread at the end of each long day,
the bowing of every head, giving thanks as you pray.
O! To be an American with pioneer values instilled,
carrying on traditions our forefathers for us, have willed;
Celebrating great moments of our countries' history,
remembering those who died with red, white & blue glory;
Perishing not for self, but for a future generation,
preserving the right to freedom in a newly formed nation;
Waving the flag with pride, extending liberty for all,
no matter where we roam, we stand firm and will not fall.
~God Bless Us Each and Every One~
Written by: Suzanne Myrl Pratt Dean
c. June 29, 2005, Roseburg, Oregon
(Honored to be a cousin of John Greenleaf Whittier,
3g-grdtr of Peter Smith Doten/Rebecca Jane Brown and
10 mat/9 pat g-grdtr of Joshua Pratt, the "Anne" 1623)