Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a banquet in my mother’s honor. Seeing all the love pour forth around the room and reflecting on her lifetime of achievement reminded me of something that seems to be widely forgotten of late: how fortunate Americans are.

We live in a place where anyone can achieve her dreams, if she takes responsibility on her own shoulders, rather than looking for excuses or others to blame, and lives within her means. She can even make the world a better place in the process. Head down nose to the grindstone is an old axiom, and one worth remembering.