In the fields of southwest Iowa, my parents and grandparents worked and sacrificed. Like so many Iowans, the American Dream for them was never about wealth or fame. Their dream was to leave their children and grandchildren a better life, with greater opportunity, than their own.
Interpretation
The American Dream is about creating better opportunities for future generations, not wealth or fame.
In this quote, Joni Ernst reflects on the values of hard work and sacrifice that her family exemplified. She emphasizes that for her ancestors in southwest Iowa, the essence of the American Dream was less about personal gain and more about ensuring that their children and grandchildren would have access to a better life filled with more opportunities, highlighting the importance of familial legacy and the drive to uplift future generations.
In practice
This quote can be used during a speech at a family reunion to highlight family values.
It was only by luck and the blessings of God that my soldiers did not encounter an assault, that we did not run over an IED. And to dishonor our service by saying we're not worthy of being called combat veterans is insulting to the majority of men and women who serve their country honorably.
I hope that my children will someday be as proud of me as I am of my mom. I am so grateful to be her daughter. I'm so grateful that she is Charlotte's and Aiden's grandmother. She makes me proud every single day.
I was a gift to my mother. She was a remarkable person. God or nature, or whatever those forces are, smiled on her, then passed me the best of her.
I mean, it's like we all get our raw materials from our families―but it's up to us whether we build bridges or bombs.
Children should be able to see the Gospel modeled in the way their father loves their mother with a sacrificial love.
Raising children, be aware that the piles and piles of laundry will disappear all too soon and that you will, to your surprise, miss them profoundly.
But, in fact, there is nothing that can bring you closer to fearlessness about everything else in the world than being a parent - because everyday fears - like not being approved of - pale by comparison to the fears you have about your children.
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