Today is my 82nd Independence Day, and honesty compels me to concede that celebrating is the last thing I feel like doing. Through the years, there have been parades, concerts, lots of food and friends having fun, and fireworks. Independence from tyranny is a good thing, certainly, and in my heart I feel deep gratitude for those who courageously made the decision to create a new, free nation for all of us.

But solemn reflection overtakes my joy today as I consider the future, both immediate and long-term, of a divided population whose fates are in the hands of an emperor who doesn’t realize he has no clothes and a Congress unwilling to confront a dangerous would-be monarch.

I can’t resist dreaming today of a presidency occupied by a brilliant woman who understands how the world works, how nations and true leaders work together to smooth out their differences and solve the world’s challenges, someone with experience in the ways of compassionate and enlightened governing. A president with a brain and a heart to match.

And today I dream of a united United States, no, not one where everyone holds the same opinions but one where our differences are respected and form the foundation upon which consensus is built and grows. One that acknowledges and celebrates one another and the fundamental values that we share in common.

Do you share my dream?