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.
My parents moved across the country so I could pursue a dream.
It really takes a community to raise children, no matter how much money one has. Nobody can do it well alone. And it's the bedrock security of community that we and our children need.
I am very protective. I just want to make sure that she can have a healthy, safe, normal life...in the back of my mind, she's my priority. And life is completely different now. I feel really, really just lucky that I can still do what I love, and now have a way bigger meaning. And that's to be her mother.
World fertility surveys indicate that anywhere from one third to one half of the babies born in the Third World would not be if their mothers had access to cheap, reliable family planning, had enough personal empowerment to stand up to their husbands and relatives, and could choose their own family size.
Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. "It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress. "I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff. "We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth contentedly from her corner.
Home should be an oratorio of the memory, singing to all our after life melodies and harmonies of old-remembered joy.
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