Happy Texas Independence Day!
Today is Texas Independence Day. As an eight generation Texan I am proud to share this little bit of history with you and to take a moment to share some great aspects of Texas with you. I know many of you in my database do not live in Texas but I couldn’t resist including you in the communication.
Consider a picture of the map of Texas; that picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast, and the Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of a Texan as anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere in the world looks at it they know what it is. It’s Texas. Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt and he’ll know what it is. What happens if I show you a picture of any other state? You might get it maybe after a second or two, but who else would? And even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you?
In every man, woman and child on this planet, there is a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride off in a pickup. There is a little bit of Texas in everyone. Did you ever hear anyone in a bar go, “Wow…so you’re from Iowa? Cool, tell me about it?” Do you know why? Because no State invokes an emotional response like Texas.
Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a church building, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, which had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom. And from that stand many more battles were fought by determined Texans to rid themselves of the tyranny of Mexico. We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and James Bowie and Crockett, and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided to cross it and be heroes. John Wayne paid to do the movie Alamo himself. That is the Spirit of Texas.
Texas is Sam Houston capturing Santa Anna at San Jacinto.
Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett National Forest.
Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend.
Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.
Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas.
Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in her cities.
Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork.
Texas is Mexican food like nowhere else, not even Mexico. Hence TexMex!
Texas is NASA.
Texas is huge herds of cattle and miles of crops.
Texas is home to the most amazing sunsets of gold over an empty field.
Texans have pride like no others.
Texas is hundreds of deer running around neighborhoods and fields, and skies filled with doves.
Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local high school football game on Friday nights.
To drive across Texas is to drive 1/4 the way across the United States.
Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities.
If it isn’t in Texas, you probably don’t need it.
Everything’s bigger in Texas! No one does anything bigger or better than it’s done in Texas.
By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U.S. that can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. flag. Think about that for a second. The Stars and Stripes are flown at 20 feet in Maryland, California, or Maine, and those respective state flags are flown at 17 feet. But not the Lone Star Flag of Texas; it is flown at 20 feet parallel with the Stars and Stripes. Do you know why? Because Texas is the only state that was a Republic before it became a state.
Also, being a Texan is as high as being an American down here. Our capitol building is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building in Washington, D.C., and we can divide our state into five states at any time if we wanted to! We included these things as part of the deal when we came on.
Maybe I am bragging a bit today but I am proud of the people of Texas and the contribution that we make to the United States. If you know a Texan please take a moment and wish him or her a Happy Texas Independence Day and watch a smile stretch as wide as Texas across their face.
Have a great day!
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