Freedom isn’t finished

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, I've been reflecting on one simple idea:

Freedom isn't finished.

The story of our nation has never been about standing still. It's been about expanding opportunity.

Generation after generation, we've wrestled with what it really means to pursue "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

One expression of freedom for me has always been deeply personal: the freedom to build a family that aligns with my path and my values.

For a decade, I dreamed of becoming a mother, but the road wasn't easy.

My infertility journey involved IVF, pregnancy loss, foster parenting, donor conception, and years of wondering whether I would ever hold my children in my arms.

It wasn't the path I envisioned growing up, but it led me to the beautiful family I cherish today.

That experience changed the way I think about freedom.

Freedom is about creating opportunities and protecting choice. It's about ensuring people have access to information, family-building options, and the support they need to pursue lives that are meaningful to them.

Today, I worry that our country is moving backward in some important areas.

Increasingly, special interest groups, lawmakers, and institutions don't seem focused on protecting our freedoms.  Instead, it feels like they're deciding which freedoms deserve protection and whose families deserve recognition. That should concern all of us, regardless of our politics.

The promise of America has never been that everyone follows the same path.

It's that every person has the freedom to pursue their own.

As our nation begins its next 250 years, I hope we continue creating opportunities for people to pursue their own version of happiness—not by prescribing what a family should look like, but by recognizing that there are many beautiful ways to build one.

To me, that will always be the enduring promise of America.

#America250
#protectourfreedoms
#missionmotherhood