Toufic Kachaamy, Medical Advisory Council Member at Colon Cancer Coalition, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Reflections of a Grateful Immigrant on this beautiful Arizona morning and the 250th birthday of the USA.
Today on my morning walk, I find myself reflecting on a country that is still young in the long arc of human history, yet has done so much for the world.
Long before I ever lived in the United States, America had already entered my imagination. It came through movies, stories, music, innovation, and the promise that life could be built, rebuilt, and expanded through courage, hard work, and hope.
As a child, America sold me the dream.
My American journey, however, did not begin on American soil. It began in Lebanon, at the American University of Beirut, an institution that connected me to the values of education, service, possibility, and bridge-building across cultures.
That bridge eventually brought me to the United States.
Twenty-five years later, I celebrate this Fourth of July with deep gratitude.
Gratitude for the opportunities this country has given me.
Gratitude for the mentors, teachers, colleagues, patients, and friends who shaped my path.
Gratitude for the success that came not from walking alone, but from being welcomed, challenged, supported, and believed in.
Gratitude for a growing network of family and friends who have made this country feel not only like a destination, but like home.
America is not perfect, just like us humans. No country is, No human is. But part of what makes America extraordinary is its ability to keep evolving, striving, correcting, inventing, welcoming, and imagining something better.
For an immigrant, the Fourth of July is more than a celebration of independence. It is a reminder that freedom creates responsibility: to contribute, to serve, to open doors for others, and to remain grateful without becoming complacent.
Today, I am grateful for the American dream I first saw on a screen, and even more grateful for the real, humanly imperfect, generous, and transformative America I have come to know over the last 25 years.
I am even more grateful to all the families who made sacrifices to make America what it is today.
Happy Fourth of July.”
You can also read: The Courage to Question, the Freedom to Learn in the Pursuit of a Better Future – Happy July 4th
