Citizenship Day was Yesterday and I Missed it.

I have no idea how I didn't know this. As I was leaving the studio yesterday morning, I looked at our massive desk calendar and for the first time yesterday, and maybe in my live, noticed in the box September 17th, it said Citizenship Day.  I don't think I've ever heard of it. And upon further investigation, the day is designed for people like me.  Foreigners who've become citizens. Who knew?

Actually it's Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. Yeah, but that was yesterday. The day commemorating the adoption of the Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. So thank you for 'my' day. What, no cake?

After I sat down and googled it, I thought about the day I became a citizen. Not the swearing in ceremony which was amazing, but the day you have your test to make sure you're accepted.  It's not an easy test, google that sometime. And you have to get 7 out of 10 questions correct.  I got the first 7 correct and made the officer give me the other 3 questions to see if I could ace it.

The swearing in ceremonies happen all over the country and only so many times per year. I was in Chicago working when I became a citizen so that's where my ceremony took place. A full room of over a hundred people, and the Judge who was swearing us in had each of us stand and give our name and what country we were coming from.  I came from Canada, so not a huge change in my day to day life. But some were from countries I've honestly never heard of. And I thought how much of a change their lives were going to have in America.

I have to admit.  I don't remember what date that was. Just like I didn't know it was Citizens Day yesterday.  But the date that will never leave my mind is the first day that I got all my paperwork processed for my Green Card, my landed immigrant status in the U.S. By design, I crossed the border from Windsor, Ontario, Canada into Detroit, Michigan just after Midnight so my paperwork would be stamped July 4th. All legal.

Happy Constitution and Citizenship Day yesterday.  Don't take it for granted.  Go vote next month. And let's have some cake.