Harvest is a diverse community filled with American heroes. We love opportunities to show our appreciation for the sacrifice and service of our neighbors.
We live in interesting times. Our political climate is tumultuous and dividing. I believe that contributes to the thought that our country has lost its patriotism. However, I think it’s easy to confuse patriotism and political strife. It’s not one or the other. You can have a great love of country and not agree with your fellow neighbor or elected officials. In fact, if you look back through history you will find that there were division and disagreements among our founding fathers.
Since the beginning, bitter party divisions defined American politics. It’s not about pursing one perfect vision for our county, but the ability to continue the arguments on freedom that our founding fathers started. I love what Gary Gutting said in his article Rethinking our Patriotism, “…this endless, rancorous struggle for the soul of America is precisely what we should love about this country. Patriotism is not sharing with our fellow citizens some anemic idealization of what freedom means. It’s a matter of engaging them…” The ability to take action to create change is what makes America great. We can all celebrate our country; honor the men and women who proudly served; and honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice all while engaging, advocating, and fighting for “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”
Harvest is a Hillwood community. If you don’t know the history, Hillwood Communities was founded by Ross Perot, Jr. in 1988. They are one of the largest independent real estate development firms in the United States. Hillwood is also one of the most respected and best-known developers in the industry. One of the things that I have loved learning since starting at Harvest was how much the Perot family loves our country. That passion and patriotism is something Ross Perot, Jr. shared with his father. Ross Jr. gives selflessly of his time and resources to help people, especially service members, veterans and emergency responders. His passion and dedication has inspired us to raise our hand and do more.
From partnering with Building Homes for Heroes, starting a veteran’s group, hosting events to honor those who have served to displaying American flags, hosting Fourth of July parades, supporting our local emergency responders and celebrating our veterans, Harvest is a community celebrates our country and the patriots who bravely served, all while encouraging neighbors to vote and to be involved in creating change.
For those reading, take heart. Celebrate being an American AND use your voice so that we can find our way toward “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.”
