OWN THE NIGHT

BY WALLACE CALEB BATES

I spent my day with family, eating fried chicken, watching fireworks, and soaking up the kind of summer air that feels like a deep breath. 

It was simple, joyful, and precisely what I needed.

As the sky lit up, I thought about this place we call home. 

For all its flaws, our country is still full of endless potential to grow, to do better, to live up to the promise it keeps reaching for.

Tonight reminded me of that. And it felt good to believe in it.

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