The Wonderful 4th of July Lesson I Learned from a Costco Employee!

The Wonderful 4th of July Lesson I Learned from a Costco Employee!


This is a true story. It happened in the early evening of July 1st, 2011 at the Chandler, Arizona, Costco store when a Costco employee taught me a wonderful 4th of July lesson.

My wife Elizabeth and I had invited my daughter Amy and our two gorgeous granddaughters, Ella and Kylie, to have pizza with us at Florencia in Ahwatukee. After a delicious pizza we were headed back to Amy's home in Chandler. We stopped at the Chandler, Costco to pick up some last minute items for the 4th of July weekend.

Elizabeth and I have shopped at the Tempe, Costco, across the I-10 freeway from Ahwatukee for years. We have come to know many of the employees by name and it is not uncommon for us to have a friendly banter with Sean or George as we go through the check out lines.

Amy went ahead to the cashier as I started to unload the items on the end of the belt. As Amy approached the cashier I noted how happy he was. He had a huge smile on his face and greeted her as if she was a long lost friend. I noted his name was Francisco. As is my custom with George or Sean at the Tempe store, I shouted up the belt, "Francisco! What are you so happy about?" He stopped, took a step back and paused. What he said next stopped me dead in my tracks and brought a tear to my eye. Without skipping a beat, Francisco looked down the belt at me and almost standing at attention, with a proud look and a huge smile on his face responded to my question. "I am so happy to live in a wonderful country which I choose to live in!" Francisco spoke English very well; but, I detected an accent that indicted that he hadn't always lived in the United States.

I was stunned and moved by his response. I live here too, but I, like many Americans, obviously don't appreciate the privilege as much as Francisco. I have taken the privilege for granted.

Of late, I have focused on what is wrong with our great country. I have been disillusioned by the dishonesty and lack of morality in our political leaders. I have been disappointed and disillusioned by the dishonesty and maneuvering of our financial institutions and government in creating the economic crisis and the housing debacle that has hurt so many and the lack of resolve to formulate a workable plan to solve the problems. I have been greatly disillusioned by the governments ongoing refusal to enforce the sovereignty of our borders and set up a much needed guest worker program. I have been greatly disappointed at how much our lives have changed. But, here in the early evening of July 1st, 2011, stood a man who had come from a far off place and he was overflowing with joy at his good fortune to be here in this wonderful country that he had chosen. He was't looking at the problems. He wasn't depressed and despondent because life had changed. He was ebullient and obviously very happy that his life had changed, obviously for the better, with his choice to come here.

Francisco, thank you for the wonderful lesson. Thank you for reminding me that despite it's short comings, we live in the greatest country in the world. Thank you for reminding me that we enjoy freedom of choice, in all areas of our lives, unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Thank you for reminding me that we are blessed far beyond any society throughout all of history.

God Bless you Fransisco!

God Bless America!

If you read this and happen to be in the Chandler, Arizona, Costco this Fourth of July weekend, look for my new friend Francisco. He is the one with the big smile on his face. Thank him for this wonderful lesson and tell him you are glad he is here.