For the love of America.

Ok, so I'm walking down town last week, and I notice an older, well-dressed African-American man walking towards me. He is carrying a briefcase. He smiles at me, and I smile back. As I am walking past him, he stops, sets his briefcase down, and extends his hand. I take it. He then introduces himself and tells me that he has a card that he's created. He reaches in his vest pocket and takes out a small, black and white card printed on heavy stock. He opens it and begins reading. The card contains a rhyming verse, and he is really reading it with feeling. I mean, he has facial expressions and even some small hand gestures to emphasize how "when God created you, He broke the mold," and your love is "good for the mind, the body, and the soul." He's really proud of this card, and he means every word that he's printed inside. When he's finished reading the verses aloud, he tells me that the cards are for sale for $1 each and asks if I'd like to buy one. I say sure, we complete our transaction, and we part ways.

This whole exchange got me thinking that we live in one of the greatest countries in the world. I mean, a man can get up in the morning and have this idea. "Hey, I could make cards and sell them downtown! I could maybe make some money!" So he buys the paper, makes the cards, puts on his suit, grabs his briefacse, and hits the pavement. Talk about free enterprise in action. It doesn't get much more free than that, does it? I mean, he is not asking for a handout. He has something to OFFER. And he's proud of his little cards. And he should be.

What a great country. Geez. There's just nothing like it.