<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Chris Lauzen]]></title><description><![CDATA[Chris Lauzen]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/lovelettersamerica2026</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:50:54 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.lauzen.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Bela Suhayda]]></title><description><![CDATA[We crossed over the Austrian/Hungarian border having successfully evaded Soviet border guards, snipers, and land mines a little more than a month before our arrival into New York harbor on Jan. 7th, 1957. We traveled two weeks crossing over the small pond called the Atlantic…a body of water insulating America from a very troubled Europe and the revolution we escaped in our homeland of Hungary.   We gazed upon the Statue of Liberty as we floated into New York Harbors’, and I could see from the...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/bela-suhayda</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4c9b433568818448e00c</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:43:25 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[William Badal]]></title><description><![CDATA[I was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1949, in a land known as the cradle of civilization. Iraq was rich with history, reaching back thousands of years to the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian empires. But for my family, it was also a land of uncertainty, upheaval, and change.   My father, John Badal, knew hardship early. At eighteen, he fled Iran because of persecution and came to Iraq looking for a new beginning. He found work in the oil fields with British and American companies and, through hard...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/william-badal</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4cbac46da0aa0d468934</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 15:43:55 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[John O'Donnell]]></title><description><![CDATA[On the west side of Chicago in the late 1930's, a young schoolgirl stands at her desk.  She's nervous, anxious and not sure what the future holds. The tuition is due at St. Thomas Aquinas grade school. It comes to $5.00 per month. Neither she nor her family can afford it.   Years later this woman recalls the event and says she is forever indebted to the school and the nuns in charge for not sending her away. She remained a student, got an education. and would pay the tuition as her family...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/john-o-donnell</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4ccffaba6cee57d88a0c</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:44:16 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lynn Lowder]]></title><description><![CDATA[About the Author: Lynn Lowder grew up in Sullivan, Illinois. A Marine Corps special operations officer, he led 24 long-range reconnaissance patrols in Vietnam and was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with Combat "V," and the Purple Heart. After the Marines he spent nearly three decades as a trial attorney and senior executive, working across law, business, and veteran advocacy. At 77 he opened Rosie's Home Cookin', a 1950s diner in Naperville celebrating veterans and the American...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/lynn-lowder</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4ce8444b1affe298fbe2</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:44:41 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Carol Fowler]]></title><description><![CDATA[An Eye for An Eye   I just wanted to be a U. S. Marine. That was in 1971.  I was 20-years-old and had never succeeded at anything in my life. I didn't know how bad I wanted to be a Marine until I was told that I had an incurable defect in one of my eyes. One that was unacceptable for the Marine Corps. It happened after I had a physical at the Armed Forces Entrance and Examination Station in Chicago. I was turned down for an enlistment. That's when I discovered that I had a strength that I...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/carol-fowler</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4cff6c17598e139d2079</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:45:05 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tom Skilling]]></title><description><![CDATA[We are fast approaching our country's 250th birthday which has many of us reflecting on just how extraordinary our country is! You ask as you do this, where do I begin in putting the amazing nature of our country into words? This is a country which has done so much to foster its citizens hopes and dreams. Those who have come before us have laid the foundation for the freedom we love and cherish. We can dream here—dream about where we want to take our lives and actually have a chance of making...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/tom-skilling</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4d18433568818448e177</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:45:29 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[John Kador ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Exodus at Midnight: A Child’s Journey from Hungary to America   John Kador, a former resident of Kane County, fled Hungary on Christmas Eve 1956, crossing the border into Austria and eventually to the United States and freedom. He recounts his refugee story in a children’s book, Exodus at Midnight. The following is an excerpt from the book. The book is available for free as a Kindle Books download.   It was a lovely Christmas Eve with lots of gifts and sweets. John was dreaming happy dreams...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/john-kador</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4d2e40b34fdeb1ef88e3</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:45:54 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Len Wass]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dear America:   Growing up we always had someone to dinner, so they could later watch my father work on their car until midnight—a daily event. Dad always worked hard to support the family; after all he only had an 8th grade education like Mom. Our annual vacation was going to Wisconsin to work on Grandpa Wass's dairy farm, like mowing hay and milking cows.   In 8th grade dad leased a garage and gas station where I started working—seven days/week, 365 days/year—after school until midnight and...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/len-wass</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4d466c17598e139d2143</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:46:15 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Meredith VanKampen Krantz]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Country Still Becoming, One House at a Time   There is a house on Downer Place that has been standing longer than anyone alive can remember. It was built in 1894, the same decade Ellis Island opened its arms, a country still becoming. A judge built it, a native son of Aurora named Russell B. Goodwin, who studied at the local seminary, read law by lamplight, and rose to serve as Assistant Attorney General under two presidents. He put up a turret and ornate gables, building the kind of home...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/meredith-vankampen-krantz</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4d5c6c17598e139d217d</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:46:38 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jo Fredell Higgins]]></title><description><![CDATA[I spent my early years at Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River in Virginia. My name is George Washington. I especially liked the subjects of geometry, trigonometry and mapmaking.   Before I was sixteen, I copied 110 maxims in my notebook dealing with etiquette. One of which was "Every action done in company ought to be done with respect to those who are present."   When I was 16 in 1743, I was appointed surveyor for Culpeper County. In the next few years, I completed 200 surveying expeditions...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/jo-fredell-higgins</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4d7140b34fdeb1ef8996</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:46:59 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Arlene Hawks]]></title><description><![CDATA[From the first musket shot, to the promises of peace and equality, we have always lived in an America where we have cherished our freedoms because of the brave men and women who have come before us, Every individual who stands up for the ideals of this country has poured their lives into this land hoping for a better future.   For the past 52 years I have had the honor and pleasure of being married to a Vietnam Veteran who makes a difference in my life each and every day. Although the LOVE...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/arlene-hawks</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4d8e40b34fdeb1ef89ef</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:47:27 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Linda Hulsizer]]></title><description><![CDATA[Happy 250th Birthday America,   I love America and all that it represents.  There are so many good memories in my mind about my life in the USA.   I grew up when you began your school day by saluting the flag, pledging allegiance to our flag, and to our country.  After reciting the pledge, we sang, "My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing…"   I remember carrying our flag in the Memorial Day parade when I was a Brownie Scout.  What a privilege to carry our flag – the red,...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/linda-hulsizer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4da66c17598e139d2244</guid><pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:47:52 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bruno Hilgart]]></title><description><![CDATA[Growing up in Kane County, specifically, St. Charles, was such an incredible experience that honestly, as I was growing up, I didn't realize until I got older and in High School. I realized that I was blessed to grow up here, such that I always knew that if I had the chance, I would raise my family here.   My career allowed me to stay local and I raised my 3 kids, with my wife Mary, in Geneva. As my kids are all now adults, they too have come to realize what a blessing it was to be raised in...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/bruno-hilgart</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4db9faba6cee57d88c90</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2026 15:48:12 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hans Lauzen]]></title><description><![CDATA[After being away from home on a deployment with the Naval Special Warfare this last year, I had an opportunity to reflect on what I love about America as I landed back in the States. It's not the beautiful places of America, although we've got them—Big Sur along the California coast, the extraterrestrial rock formations in the Utah deserts, the pristine turquoise waters of the Gulf Coast, and the hazy expanses of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's not the massive skyscrapers and the unparalleled...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/hans-lauzen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4dcc6c17598e139d22b0</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:48:30 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Leo G. Lauzen, Sr.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Submitted by Chris Lauzen, in honor of his father Leo G. Lauzen, Sr.   My father, Leo G. Lauzen, Sr., passed away years ago, but his story has never left me. I submit it here as a love letter to America because it is, at its core, exactly that: a young man of 19 who loved his country enough to cross an ocean, press through hedgerows, charge through German lines in the dead of night, and give everything he had so that the America he believed in would survive. His story is a love letter to...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/leo-g-lauzen-sr</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4de1c46da0aa0d468c55</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:48:50 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sarah Longley Lauzen]]></title><description><![CDATA[Happy #250 Birthday, America: “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave”   I love being an American and feel blessed to live in this beautiful, free country.  Opportunities are everywhere.    This Love Letter is more of a “thank you note” to the brave men and their supportive wives who courageously embarked on the complex and dangerous journey of creating America as we know and love it today.     ~ ~ ~   In 1776, fifty-six fearlessly committed patriots spent more than two months drafting,...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/sarah-longley-lauzen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4df3433568818448e3e7</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:49:08 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Peter Orum]]></title><description><![CDATA[Submitted in memoriam by his daughter, Christa Orum-Keller   My father, Peter Orum, was born in Denmark in 1941 and came to America in 1965 with little more than a passion for plants and a desire to learn. He had planned to come back after some years and start a nursery in Denmark. He never did. America had other plans for him. Alongside my mother Irma, he built Midwest Groundcovers from the ground up in St. Charles, Illinois, into one of the leading wholesale nurseries in the country. He...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/peter-orum</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4e08c46da0aa0d468cc9</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:49:29 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Afterword: Chris Lauzen]]></title><description><![CDATA[America's Voice   If America could speak, what would she say?   What has she said through the voices of men and women who have personified her ideals, personality, character, and aspirations?   Here is a sample of great thoughts that can be memorized and imprinted in our minds and on the hearts of our children and grandchildren who intend to carry on America's dream.   ~ ~ ~   "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with...]]></description><link>https://www.lauzen.com/post/afterword-chris-lauzen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d4e1e444b1affe298ff5b</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:49:52 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>slauzen</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>