The Fourth of July remains my second favorite holiday, right after Christmas. Fireworks are one of the fun parts of the day. (I seem to never get enough of such a visual display—not to mention the booms and WOWS). Cooking out, spending time with family, the warmth of a summer day all help to add to the festivities.
Holidays are great for rest and relaxation. But, like every other celebration, the meaning of this day should not be glossed over. Countless people, well over two centuries ago, shed their blood and gave their lives in the belief that freedom was a right from God (not government). Freedom to worship, speak, defend home and hearth, and assemble peacefully were (and still are) values and rights worth defending. Our founding fathers believed that no government can abridge the rights (God given rights) of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. No king, court, president or congress can supplant the will of the people. Tyranny must be resisted at every turn. Justice for all must be the clarion call of every American. When the government at every level and in every branch of it fails to remember that it serves the people and exists at the benevolence of said people, the time comes to reevaluate and rebel, if necessary. We are beholden to no political party, or agenda of a politicized court, or an out of control Congress, or any president. We are independent, yet, bound by a constitution that has survived the struggles of history and will continue to guide the generations to come.
We call this day, Independence Day. We don’t remember only a point of time in the past. We celebrate in the present moment and look with hope to a future (with God in it) filled with promise for all who love freedom, solid religion, and balanced press, politically free courts, and a Congress with only one agenda: seeking only what is best for the people of America.
May this great holiday be celebrated in safety and with certainty in the truth that this great experiment we call the United Sates of America will shine vigorously and proudly to the world, both in the moment and in the future. God bless America!