Wearing: Dearie Me

There's a grief that can't be spoken.

There's a pain goes on and on.

Empty chairs at empty tables

Now my friends are dead and gone.

Here they talked of revolution

Here it was they lit the flame

Here they sang about tomorrow

And tomorrow never came.

Phantom faces at the window.

Phantom shadows on the floor.

Empty chairs at empty tables

Where my friends will wait no more.

--Les Miserables

(Target shirt, H&M skirt, UO belt, Anthropologie Dearie Me wedges, Simply Vera Wang bag)

I get ridiculously nostalgic on July 4th...wondering at the heroism of previous generations. I read with almost grim fascination the stories of resistance fighters and service men. I study the grainy, out-of-focus images of hollow-eyed war survivors and find myself deeply moved, overcome by waves of fear, awe, humility and admiration. And outrage, too--that more of these stories of stirring bravery are not better known.

We are always looking for heroes--individuals whose extraordinary spirits both inspire and convict us. But when looking back it seems the image is always distorted somehow. Were the generations that came before us so much braver? Were they uncommon? Would my generation, upon finding ourselves in the midst of atrocity and upheaval rise to the harrowing occasion? Are there any real heroes anymore or has the term 'hero' been reduced to the stuff of comic books?

I believe that--when the situation requires it--my generation shows great courage and fortitude in adversity and maintains hope when all seems forsaken...that we can discern the difference between right and wrong when the face of truth is hidden in shadows.

Perhaps our heroes aren't best served by weeping, but by remembering with ferocious clarity...by looking inside and recognizing that real heroism includes any number of daunting moral decisions, made by ordinary people of whom such complexity would have ever been expected.

I am American. I'm proud of my country. There are always those eager to point out our failures. It's true, when we make mistakes, we make really big ones. As a country we are young and strong, ready with a helping hand...quick to show compassion and assistance to other counties in need. Our soldiers have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their countrymen...they have died on battlefields for the rights of individuals who share neither the same language or nationality. Our country is a conglomerate of many nationalities and creeds. We do not retreat in the face of disaster. We are creative and inventive. We are American.