Quote Originally Posted by Panache View Post
America is still quite a young nation. We are a true "melting pot" of all the cultures of the various peoples that came here to seek their fortunes.
How wonderful it is to live someplace where we can celebrate all these different cultures and their influences. If others find this amusing and laugh, well perhaps we should be as Dickens once wrote:

"...wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter at the onset"

And like Scrooge we should "let them laugh, and little heed them".

Cheers

Jamie
Jamie - great point. As an immigrant myself from a country only settled in the late 1800's I am acutely aware of my heritage and ancestry because for now that defines me in this polyglot nation. Perhaps in several hundred years my future descendants will think and feel different.

The original inhabitants of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales have been there for far longer than of any us other than the Native Americans. Their culture, identity and families are rooted in that much longer history. But if there was not a culture and identity to celebrate, then why plan "The Gathering" for next year?

Brian