I know I have been remiss in not plugging away over the past three months or so. There are many reasons—really excuses—as to why I have not been pounding away at the keyboard. There has been my laser focus on my therapy. There has been the horrific bout with the election of 2020. There have been worries about where I was going to land if and when I get the ability to move out of the VA system.
As one can see, most of my excuses have been focused on me and not on what is going on around me in this craziest of all years. I will say that one thing has kept me going, and that one thing is my faith in God. And as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ today, it is that faith that has sustained me through all the chaos of this past 12 months.
I have faith in the American people
As angry and upset as many of you have been, and I have been right there with you, I want all of you to take a deep breath and reflect on where we are. We still live in the greatest country on earth and at least half of the people in this country still believe in its founding principles. That is what gives me faith that we can get this turned around in the next two to four years. Our man may not take the oath of office again on January 20th, but the movement he started is not going to die out anytime soon.(I will write more on this topic later.)
You see, I have faith in the American people. I believe that they will take up the fight and will demand that our elections will finally have safeguards put in place to protect the votes that are cast. I have faith that they will go to the state legislatures and close the early voting windows. I have faith that they will insist on the rules for absentee voting be enforced so that fallot harvesting and blanket mail in voting will not happen. I have faith that the people will demand that voting machines be scrutinized and that more secure voting methods will be put in place. I have faith that the people of America will press for voter ID laws. It muy not happen overnight, but I think the hue and cry from the people will move the ball that direction. I have faith.
My faith journey has been remarkable and is still not over. I tell everyone who will listen that faith is not a destination. My faith is shaped and molded everyday as I live this wonderful, rich and full life. I have been so blessed to have the people in my lift that I have, and through their influence on me, have lifted me up. That includes all who read this newsletter and who have prayed for me over this nearly two years I have been in the hospital.
As I write this on Christmas Day in the year 2020, I want each of you to reflect on what is good and great in your lives. I want each of you to look forward to what each of us can do to make the lives of those around us better. I want each of you to focus in on what inside of us needs to be fixed so that we can help those around us. I want us all to think about what it is we can do to help those who may not be able to help themselves.
I am in a ward filled with veterans who may have fought in Korea, Vietnam or even some of our more recent altercations. Several here have dementia. It’s sad to see such brave men trapped inside minds that have failed them. They roam the halls looking for loved ones who have passed and places that are no longer there. We have Purple Heart winners who refuse to eat and who simply want to move on to something better. I pray for them, as I look at my own circumstances and thank God I have the faculties that I do. All Glory to God.
Have faith, my friends. Believe in your Supreme Being. Believe in your family. Believe in each other. Believe in your country. Have faith.
Everyday, a nurse or therapist will ask me how it is that I keep such an optimistic outlook. I say it’s my faith.
Sam Clovis was raised in Kansas and attended the United States Air Force Academy, serving for 25 years on active duty as a fighter pilot. He retired as a Colonel and the Inspector General of NORAD and the United States Space Command.
Sam served as a Fellow at the Homeland Security Institute, contributing in national preparedness and immigration policy. He recently served as a tenured full professor of economics at Morningside College.
Sam has a BS from the Academy, an MBA from Golden Gate University and a doctorate from the University of Alabama. He served as national co-chair and chief policy advisor for the Trump for President Campaign, was a policy director during the transition period and served as the Senior White House Advisor to the US Department of Agriculture. He currently lives in rural Iowa.
I know I have been remiss in not plugging away over the past three months or so. There are many reasons—really excuses—as to why I have not been pounding away at the keyboard. There has been my laser focus on my therapy. There has been the horrific bout with the election of 2020. There have been worries about where I was going to land if and when I get the ability to move out of the VA system.
As one can see, most of my excuses have been focused on me and not on what is going on around me in this craziest of all years. I will say that one thing has kept me going, and that one thing is my faith in God. And as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ today, it is that faith that has sustained me through all the chaos of this past 12 months.
