Mowery is the author of the novel Always Remembered, about the Republic of Texas's fight for freedom from Summerside Press, an imprint of Guideposts.
My mother may have given birth to me during a snowstorm in southern Minnesota, but I think I was born a Texan. It just took me 18 years to get here.
Two months after I graduated from high school, I ventured south to my very sultry new home of Houston, where I eventually lost that cold, bluish hue and instead turned the occasional shade of sun-kissed red. I’ve never regretted the move.
I knew bits and pieces of Texas history and had always heard about the pride of Texans, but until I moved here, I didn’t understand it.
Over the years, and especially after researching the battle of the Alamo and the events leading up to it for Always Remembered, the reason for that Texas pride became clear. It’s the same reason the citizens of the United States are proud of being Americans: the knowledge that their freedom was purchased through the sacrifice of many lives.
Sometimes the word pride carries a negative connotation. It conjures up arrogance, smugness or self-importance. But in this case, pride means love, honor and appreciation for those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom.
On that fateful early March morning at the Alamo in 1836, hundreds of brave men fought and bravely sacrificed their lives for independence from Mexico during the Texas Revolution. I am proud of those who sacrificed their lives out of love, respect and dedication to our country.
Of course, the sacrifice of a life for the sake of freedom goes all the way back to biblical times, to the sacrifice made on the cross by Jesus. He gave his life so we can be freed from our sins. That freedom wasn’t given for us to become self-serving, but to love and serve one another.
And that’s something we all should remember.
