What Would My Father Say to America?

Like many of my fellow Americans, I have spent much of this year contemplating the meaning of America's 250th birthday. I have participated in fantastic events to mark this momentous occasion, and I have read dozens of reflections on America that range from passionately patriotic to sharply critical and everything in between. Yet, out of everything I've seen or read, I am most moved by the words of my own late father, which I revisited just before the Fourth of July holiday last week.