Video Link: Shauna sings the national anthem for the Marlins v. Braves game!

Thank you so much to the Miami Marlins for having me back to sing the Star-Spangled Banner! And for the fifth year in a row, wow. I feel like I’m part of the team!  ; )

It is always such an honor to perform the national anthem. I’ve had the opportunity to sing it at a variety of events and each time I am filled with appreciation for the bravery of the people who helped to ensure that, as the song goes, “our flag was still there”.

The love and pride I feel for my country is not blind. It has been almost 200 years since Francis Scott Key wrote his poem about that flag, and over the years our government has made many, many controversial decisions–seemingly, some were downright bad ones. And we have plenty of urgent problems we need to address as a nation–around the globe and here at home. But this song reminds me of one of our country’s greatest traditions, which is hope. All by itself, hope may not get you too far. But with it, we are able to harness other skills like imagination, invention, courage and cooperation, and create amazing results. So any time you hear this song, my hope is that it will remind you, as it does me, to use all of these skills in your own pursuit of happiness and also for the greater good.

Thanks for reading, and happy Independence Day!

~ Shauna S.