The countdown year has begun: On July 4, 2026, our nation will celebrate its 250th birthday. Independence Day has always been a big deal in my family – the food, the fireworks, the fun. But this year feels different – as a mom and grateful citizen. A recent Gallup poll cites that only 58% of adults in the U.S. feel "extremely" or "very" proud to be American – a record low that sits nine percentage points below last year. In contrast, 90% of Americans identified as being "extremely" or "very" proud after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. In two swift decades, our sense of unity as Americans…
