Hope of America
Last night was the Hope of America program. This is a huge event where 7000 elementary students either sing in a musical chorus or perform on the floor of a basketball stadium. Patriotism is the theme of the evening. It features songs about America, the constitution, the declaration of independence, Martin Luther King, Abe Lincoln, voting, and supporting our military. This program has run for over a decade now and is often broadcast to troops over seas. It is an amazing spectacle. So far all of my kids have had one or two chances to participate. I have mixed feelings about the program. I don’t personally enjoy attending major public spectacles with my children. It makes me anxious to keep track of my kids in huge crowds. Also the program does not vary much from year to year. After attending this event at least five times, I’ve seen the all the variations. Not only that, but I’ve participated in helping my kids learn all of the songs. And so I viewed attending this event with trepidation and an expectation of boredom which would only be tempered by the annoyance of trying to entertain children who were also bored. After which I got to drive home through a major traffic jam.
All the things I expected were there, and yet, somehow the program still touched my heart and I shed tears more than once. This year Gleek was our only performer. The other three all sat with me at the very top of the stadium. I listened to Kiki raving excitedly about every single number, reminiscing on performances that she’d participated for in past years. Link was a joyful audience to Kiki’s expert explanations. Patches was frequently bored, but even he was entralled by some of the numbers. There is something magic about a huge space full of children dancing and singing their hearts out. They were all down there, totally absorbed in messages of hope about the ideals of our country and dreams about what our country could be. When they get older, they’ll learn far more about the complexities of politics and racial tensions, but if they’ve learned the lesson this program intends, then they’ll face those challenges with hope that the world can be made a better place.
None of those children are perfect. Many of them made missteps in their dance numbers. Many of them come from dysfunctional homes. Some of them are serious discipline problems at school. Some of them steal. Some of them lie. And yet from all those imperfect pieces, a marvelous program was forged. As a whole, they radiated hope and joy. It occurs to me that this is very much like the conscious creation of our country. Yes we have our problems. Yes some things need to be fixed. But on the whole America is a glorious creation that has allowed more freedom and well being to more people than has ever existed before in the history of the world. I’m pleased to be a part of that creation, just as I was pleased to be part of the Hope of America show. Both involve some personal inconvenience and irritation, but both are ultimately worth the effort.