As our days grow shorter, nights longer and weather colder, all of us need some inspiration. Here is the first of a few stories to inspire you.
Nancy Gibson was born and raised in Mexico. She never thought of leaving her family until she fell in love with an American and came to his country. 
“I didn’t know what a blessing I was getting into,” she wrote in The Epoch Times “Why I Love America” contest.
She discovered Americans were not selfish, arrogant and power hungry as she had been taught. She was amazed that thousands of Americans go abroad to give their time, sometimes their lives, to help others. 
“Before me stood a compassionate nation,” she wrote. “The abusive demon turned out to be a helping angel.”
In this country, it’s possible for anyone, even without a college education, to earn a comfortable living. Anybody willing to work hard can afford to own a home. 
“What impressed me the most was to hear people speaking their minds without fear of being thrown in jail or even murdered. It was plain to me that the rest of my life would be better here, where there was opportunity, where there was goodness, where I could be respected.”
“After gaining my citizenship, I decided to learn the history of my adopted land. The story of the birth of this nation is like a thrilling adventure movie. I marveled at the patriots’ courage to stand against the powerful Crown of England, the superpower of their time. I admired their honesty, after independence was won, to focus on what was good for the people, instead of fighting among themselves for power.
Every passage of history I read increased my admiration. Watching a TV show about the fight for independence, my husband said: “I’m convinced that God had a hand in the creation of this country. The Founding Fathers didn’t have a chance. They lacked means, were poorly clothed, hungry and against all odds they won.”
“I finally saw the reality behind the reality. The Founding Fathers were not just the heroes of an adventure story, They were instruments of God to create a place on earth where freedom could be a reality.
The words “In God We Trust” used to intrigue Nancy. Why does a country that is not a theocracy print that on its money? 
“Those words are the essence of the country, the foundation on which this great nation rests,” she wrote. That is the reason why there is compassion and goodness in this land, why we can speak our minds without fear, and why this country has prospered and risen like no other.
“Here, like nowhere else in history, God was trusted. And His will was allowed to be the basis for the rule of law.
“That is the reason I love America. It gave me the chance to experience some level of the reality of God. A door came open. I walked through it, thinking I was leaving home. What a wonderful surprise to realize I was coming home.”
Nancy today is a Spanish interpreter, artist and co-author of “The View from Sawyer Canyon,” living the American dream near Elephant Butte, New Mexico, in an adobe house she built with her husband.
Next: A poor immigrant’s story