New American

This lovely woman, who is a dear friend and also one of the owner/coaches at the CrossFit box where we belong, earned an amazing title today: AMERICAN!  Giane is a native of Brazil, who came here on her own as a young woman, hardly more than a girl, actually, to create the kind of life she sought and believed she could find in our great nation.  She went through the process slowly, methodically, legally.  Along the way, Giane built that life for herself: She got a job, received training, made friends, forged a career, fell in love, gathered a new family, opened a business, got married, gave birth to an American son, and, this day, became an American herself.  I could not be more proud if I had made this achievement myself... but it is an awesome reminder of just what citizenship means, and the benefits that I often take for granted.