Independence Day

Flags are flying high above the city streets. We're planning a picnic with Bill's sister and her family--hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, salads, chips, and watermelon.  Levi is begging to buy fireworks.  We look forward to seeing some magnificent fireworks displays in our neighborhood.  It looks like a typical Fourth of July again this year.

When I was very small, I remember sitting outside under the yard light on Grandma and Grandpa's farm, watching as my dad and uncles got the fireworks ready.  Someone would run to the house to turn off the yard light so we could see the show against the darkened sky.  Then, the yard light would be turned on again so they could get more fireworks ready.  Even as young children, we were allowed to wave sparklers around and around, reveling in the magic of their colorful, sparkling lights.  We always expected a few minor burns and a few mosquito bites, but it was worth it.

When we moved to Norfolk, my dad shot off bottle rockets in our backyard.  In Fairbury, we usually drove to the City Park, where the whole family sat together on a blanket at the edge of the trees so we could enjoy the fireworks display.  I remember one year though, when I was a teenager, sitting on the hotel roof watching the show from a distance, all by myself.  I learned that fireworks are best shared with other people.

When Bill and I lived in the Traverse City area, we enjoyed the novelty of sitting with friends on the beach by Grand Traverse Bay to watch the fireworks as they were shot off a barge.  We especially enjoyed the shows in Michigan, because most fireworks for personal use were banned there. 

Picnics and fireworks are practically synonymous with Independence Day in America.  Sometimes, though, I think we forget what we are celebrating.  Two hundred thirty-five years ago, the leaders of our fledgling country got together to sign the Declaration of Independence.  From the very beginning, those few men determined that our country would be different.  In a world filled with inequity and turmoil, we are still privileged to live in a nation where so many freedoms are guaranteed by our country's constitution.  Here in America, we have the right to representation and the right to vote for our country's leaders, freedom to assemble whenever and wherever we wish, for any reason, and freedom to worship God as we wish.  We have freedom to keep and bear arms, protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the right to a fair and speedy trial by an impartial jury.  All children are guaranteed a free education; all adults may choose where to work and live.

Unfortunately, these freedoms don't come without a price, so we complain about paying taxes.  Our service men and women put aside their personal freedoms daily, and sometimes give up their lives, so that the rest of us can live comfortably in the United States.  We must guard against taking our freedoms for granted.  This year, let's thank our leaders and military personnel for doing their part to maintain the freedoms we enjoy.   Let's thank God for the many blessings He's given us here, in the United States of America.

*The picture at the top shows Meagan, at the age of two, experiencing her first sparkler.