Cover image via Wikimedia Commons.
Mia Love: My Last Wish for the America I Know
The following is excerpted from the Free Press. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
My dear friends, fellow Americans, and Utahns, I am taking up my pen, not to say goodbye but to say thank you and express my living wish for you and the America I know.
My battle with brain cancer is coming to an end. The disease is no longer responding to treatment, and my family and I have shifted our focus from treatments to enjoying every moment and making memories with the time we have.
My life has been extended by exceptional medical care, science, and extraordinary professionals who have become dear friends. My extra season of life has also been the result of the faith and prayers of countless friends, known and unknown. The result of such humble faith and pleading prayers have been felt by me and my family in ways too numerous to count. I have always believed that faith and science are inextricably interconnected.
As a mayor, member of congress, and media commentator, I have seen the worst of petty politics, divisive rhetoric, and disappointing lapses of moral character by some. These same roles also provided me a front-row seat and backstage pass to be blessed and inspired by the courage, vision, and hope of America’s finest daughters, sons, and citizens.
Couching this column as a “dying wish” felt a little dramatic, even for a drama person like me. We are not certain how long this season of my battle will be, and I do want to share, and reshare, some things with the world that I passionately believe. I write all of this as my “living wish” and hopefully “enduring wish” for you.
Let me tell you about the America I know. My parents immigrated to the United States with $10 in their pocket and a belief that the America they had heard about really did exist as the land of opportunity. Through hard work and great sacrifice they achieved success—so the America I came to know growing up was filled with all the excitement found in living the American dream. I was taught to love this country, warts and all, and understand I had a role to play in our nation’s future. I learned to passionately believe in the possibilities and promise of America.
Watching my father and mother work odd jobs in order to provide for us and maintain their independence taught me valuable lessons in personal responsibility. When tough times came, they didn’t look to Washington, they looked within. Because the America they knew was centered in self-reliance, the America I know is founded in the freedom self-reliance always brings.
What makes America great is the idea that when government is limited and decisions are made closest to the people they impact, people are free—free to work, free to live, free to choose, free to fail, and free to achieve. The America I know provides everyone an equal opportunity to be as unequaled as they choose to be.
The America I know gives back. Americans, regardless of financial status, are the most giving people on the planet. On their own, without government requirement, our people give their money, their time, and their attention to causes, communities, and people in need whether it is across the street or around the world. I’ve experienced this generosity throughout my life and during my battle with cancer. I am so grateful.
The America I know makes tough choices.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Former Utah Congresswoman Mia Love has died at age 49
The following is excerpted from the Deseret News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
In Love’s autobiography, “Qualified,” she shared her family’s journey from Haiti to the United States. Her father, Jean Maxime Bourdeau, ran from the Tonton Macoute, a “special operations unit” (thugs) for both “Papa Doc” and “Baby Doc” Duvalier in Haiti. At age 14, he hid in an open sewer pipe all night long. His mother was certain he was dead, and her terrified eyes when he returned home instilled in him a desire for freedom. He came to the United States and a couple of years later, his wife, Marie, joined him. Mia was born in New York City on Dec. 6, 1975.
When she was 5, her family moved to Norwalk, Connecticut. She graduated from Norwalk High School, where she began developing her voice. She had impressive vocal abilities that her time in high school allowed her to use in new ways. Love then went on to the University of Hartford, where she graduated with a degree in musical theater.
Political beginnings
A convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Love moved to Utah while she worked as a flight attendant. She married Jason Love, and they began to build their family, becoming parents to three children: Alessa, Abigale and Peyton. It was after moving into a new home in the small-but-growing community of Saratoga Springs that Love first got involved in local politics — and it was all about the midges (little flying aquatic bugs) covering the walls, windows and doors in their home. After the neighborhood builder refused to spray for the bugs, she spearheaded a moms’ group that started posting signs in their yards warning prospective buyers to stay away. It worked. Within just a few weeks, the builder agreed to spray in exchange for the moms taking down their signs.
From that beginning, she said she recognized that she could be “part of the solution to problems and challenges facing my friends, neighbors and community.” She ran for her city council in 2003 and won. She won a second term in 2007, and in 2009 she ran to be mayor of Saratoga Springs, a race she also won.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
