Sally was a 9-year-old girl. One day she took a walk down a familiar path behind her backyard that bordered the state game lands. Suddenly, a bald eagle flew low to the ground in front of her and landed on the limb of an old oak tree.

“Hey Sally!” the eagle shouted. “Don’t be afraid of me. I’m Mr. American Eagle and you are the four thousand, five hundred and thirty second child I will have spoken to today. I am the proud bird of our country, but once upon a time a great American named Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird. Imagine how that would have worked out,” he said with a chuckle.

The eagle looked deeply into Sally’s eyes. “May I sing you a song?”

She was not afraid. Her curiosity moved her closer to the big beautiful bird.

“I love songs. Sing to me, Mr. American Eagle,” Sally said with excitement in her voice.

The eagle flapped his huge wings and cleared his throat and then he began. “My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty. God shed his grace on thee. And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. Send the homeless that have sailed through storms just to feel joy when they see me. Let us thank our lucky stars to be living here today. My flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away. O’ say does that star-spangled banner yet wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave? This is our country. Let us pledge allegiance to America, the bold to have and to hold. What’s the difference if we hail from the South or the North or from the East or West? My heart is filled with love for all. I swell with pride deep within my breast.

“This land is your land. This land is my land. From California to the New York island, from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, this land was made for you and me. We are one nation under God for every person, whether you be big or you be small, we are indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!”

The eagle stopped singing and a single tear dropped from his eye.

“Why so sad?” Sally asked. “That was a beautiful song!”

Suddenly, a beam of sunshine flashed down upon the beautiful bird.

“Wow,” said Sally with her eyes as big as the moon. The eagle looked down upon her and spoke.

“You learn in school about all the great people that lived before you, and you were taught about the courage of those that fought in wars and died so that you can live free.

“Ever since I was born to our country that began in 1776, our people have welcomed millions of others from all over the world who come here to search for a better life.

“Now there are some who want to tear off my right wing. There are others who want to tear off my left wing. They do not realize that without both wings, I am incomplete. I can no longer fly and be the proud eagle that has stood for righteousness and freedom for everyone who has stepped onto the shores of our country.”

“Oh, no!” Sally shouted. “You can’t lose your wings! We have to keep you together!”

“You must help me,” he said in a whisper.

Sally lowered her head, “But, Mr. American Eagle,” she said. “I’m just a little girl. How can I help you save a whole big country?”

“Let me tell you a story, my child,” he said. “Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to walk along the shore of a lake every morning. One day, after a big storm, the shore was littered with dying fish as far as the eye could see. Off in the distance, the old man noticed a young girl about your age approaching him. As she got nearer, he saw that she was bending down to pick up an object every so often. When she got closer to him, he called out, ‘May I ask what it is that you are doing?’

“The young girl looked up at the old man and said, ‘I’m throwing fish back into the lake. They will die unless I put them back into the water.’ The old man laughed and said, ‘There must be hundreds of dying fish on this shore, maybe thousands. I’m afraid you won’t really make much of a difference.’

“The little girl bent down, picked up a wriggling sunfish and threw it as far as she could into the lake. Then she turned to the old man and smiled, ‘I made a difference to that one!’ ”

Sally clapped her hands. “Yay!” she shouted. “Now I understand what I can do. If I’m nice to everyone, I can help save our country, one person at a time.”

“Yes, you and little boys and girls like you can help me, too,” said the eagle. “Be sure you remember one other important thing about my story. That little girl didn’t choose just one kind of fish that she wanted to save. She helped yellow ones, black ones, white ones and brown ones, too.”

Sally raised her eyes as the majestic bird opened his wings and lifted himself from the limb to take flight high over the treetops. She waved her hands. “Bye, Mr. American Eagle!”

Later that day, thousands of children took to their neighborhood streets to help save America, one person at a time.

If we could look at our country through the eyes of an innocent and unbiased child, perhaps we might be able to accept everyone in our nation as our brothers and sisters. We have a responsibility to leave our kids and grandkids “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

For the sake of the 72 million children who live within our country’s borders, it’s time we start saving America, one person at a time.

Email Rich Strack at richiesadie11@gmail.com