They live in an irony-free zone. They want a

house, a car, a stereo system, and a dishwasher.

In our strange and difficult times, one reason

the American dream stays alive is that new people

keep showing up who believe in it. And, because

they believe that America is the land of freedom

and opportunity and because they act on that

belief, they sometimes make it true. As Willa Cather

once wrote, "The history of every country begins in

the heart of a man or a woman" (Pipher, page 329).