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Did you know that on the list of sunniest cities in the country, Pittsburgh is right down there at the bottom - more than Buffalo, NY who has only 54 days per year, fewer than Erie, PA with 63, and dead even with Kodiak, AK at 59 sunny days per year? Maybe that is why President Obama is coming to Pittsburgh twice in the next month – to spread a little sunshine!

The trade-off for living under a cloud of course is our sports teams. In fact, I think that is why southwestern PA has so many dedicated fans - it helps to take our minds off the weather. I am lucky because I get to go to more than a few baseball, football, and hockey games. And at each and every event, the honor guard presents the colors and we sing the national anthem.

I always sing (out loud), and I always get a flutter in my stomach when I see our flag and I think about the words of the song. We all remember our lessons in primary school about the writing of the Star Spangled Banner – how Francis Scott Key wrote it on the deck of a ship while watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Navy during the War of 1812. It has only been 8 years since America came under the siege of a foreign enemy and we still have many strong emotions from that day. Thank heaven we have a flag and symbol to rally around and a song to sing to remind us of our duty to our country and the precious freedom we are gifted with.

Bravery is to risk everything to follow your passions. While Francis Scott Key was extolling on the bravery of the soldiers and sailors of every generation who have served our country, I also believe that we witness bravery all the time in the most unusual of settings. One on the bravest people I know is my nephew Simon, who is a teacher in West Philadelphia. He has given his students a goal and the means to attain it - to build a car that gets 100 MPG in order to win the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize. Or my niece, who will never make millions with her law degree but will fight for the rights of women and children and be their voice when no one else cares. There’s also my friend, as well as my children’s long-time babysitter, who is braver than me – she serves the children in the oncology ward at Children’s Hospital and my nephew, who gave up 12 precious months with his wife and new baby to serve in Iraq.

How did this letter turn into a personal commentary instead of a newsletter about insurance? Maybe that means you can take the rest of the day off? Since there is no sense in changing topics at this point, how about if I leave you with the last verse of the Star Spangled Banner to inspire you: 

            O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand 
            Between their loved home and the war's desolation! 
            Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land 
            Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. 
            Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, 
            And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.' 
            And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave 
            O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

God Bless America!