I’m what might be called a hybrid American. From my paternal grandmother, Minnie Bell Smith, I am able to claim that I am a descendant of people who fought for independence in the Revolutionary War. In fact, I have solid information that one of my ancestors, Thomas Smith, was a captain from the colony of Virginia. Later in our history my great grandfather, John William Seth Smith, served as a lieutenant in the Union Army during the Civil War. I have my bonafides from that branch of my family but my mother’s family makes me part of the great immigration story of the early twentieth century. That is when both my maternal grandfather, Pavel Uhrik, and my grandmother, Maria Bartokovik, sailed to the United States from Slovakia, landing in the Port of Galveston, Texas. 

The American story cannot be told without both the colonists from Europe and the later immigrants from around the world. For many among us the Native Americans and slaves brought unwillingly from Africa also play a key role in who we have eventually become as a nation. Our strength lies in our glorious variety. Ours is indeed a beautiful tapestry of many colors interwoven in the hopes and dreams of generations. 

I sometimes complain about the difficulties that have challenged me in life, but all in all mine has been a quiet journey filled with love and support from my family and the friends I have enjoyed along the way. I was lucky to have some incredible role models in the women who were most responsible for guiding me from infancy to adult life. I found great wisdom and support from the men who lovingly watched over me. I have learned through my experiences as a teacher that not everyone is as fortunate as I have been to be always surrounded by people who truly cared about my wellbeing. 

When people ask me if I am better off today than I once was I have to admit that I am quite content to have lead a good life. My mother worked hard to provide stability to me and my brothers after our father died and she did so with aplomb. We were adults before we realized the miracles she performed in providing us with a safe home in a loving and generous atmosphere. She might have made a fortune showing people how to make ends meet on a small income. She was resourceful and ever optimistic so that we never had to worry. She taught me how to be grateful for whatever good fortune I have and also how to share with others who have less than I have. I watched her share her talents and her joy with abandon.

I learned the value of every person from the people who influenced my life. Later I would learn from my students and their parents, who were often categorized with labels like immigrants, under served, low income, low achieving. I found that when all is said and done everyone has hopes and dreams and longings to rise above the difficulties that life throws at all of us. I thought of my mother urging me to meet my pupils where they were, not where I thought they should be. She cautioned me to learn as much from them as they would hopefully learn from me. Because I accepted Mama’s wisdom they filled my heart with love and great hope for the future of our world. 

I do not see my responsibilities as beginning and ending with my own family, my own neighborhood, my own country. All of the wonderful people who have brought me to this point have shown me how to view differences as something wonderful, not fearful. I have become a far better person than I might otherwise have been each time I joyfully embrace different cultures, lifestyles philosophies. My view is that of a citizen of the world just as my high school English teacher encouraged me to be. It is a wonderful vantage point that leads to great comfort, not anxiety. 

I am happy to be the way I am. I am glad that my children and grandchildren are following in the pathways that those who came before us showed us how to do. We take forks in the road. We risk questioning the way things have always been done. We listen and watch and learn. It is a great gift to widen our horizons and to understand the loveliness of seeing the incredible value of all of humanity, not just a one size fits all description. 

I sometimes worry when I encounter narrow minded people. I do not trust those who would turn us against one another. i dislike laws that seem intent on forcing us all to be just alike. I worry about my nation whenever its leaders cast doubt on the value of immigrants or ask us to believe that certain ways of life are better than other alternatives. I have learned that such isolated ways of living almost always lead to greater difficulties when embracing each other just as we are is always the best way forward. 

I am content with what I have and willing to share with those who have less. It is up to each of us to lift up those who struggle with sacrifices like the ones my mother so happily made without complaint. She understood so clearly how little we actually need to be happy and the importance of being generous whenever we are able. Love is always the answer and thanks to all of the people who cared for me I have much of that to give.