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 came into this environment where there was so much love, so much positive energy. I never heard my parents say, 'We have adopted kids.' The minute my sister Linda and I landed in Sweden, we were their kids.
If your dad died before you were born, yeah, it hurts - but it's not like you had a connection with something that was real. Not to say it's any better - but to have that connection and then have it ripped away was, like, the worst. My dad was such a good dad that when he left, he left a huge scar. He was my superhero.
Few parents nowadays pay any regard to what their children say to them. The old fashioned respect for the young is fast dying out.
When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.
I just sit there and make up songs and sing to [my son] in gibberish. I'm very good at gibberish now.
Heaven lieth at the feet of mothers.
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