Happy ‘Independence Day’
Most people only know it as the Fourth of July. A day for picnics, flag waving parades, and fireworks. When I grew up most people referred to it as Independence Day. I wish we would still call it that today.
Independence Day says what the day is. The Fourth of July is just one of 31 days in the month. It tells us nothing about what the day is all about. This country fought for its independence from England and it is that independence that makes us the most envied country in the world. I wonder just how many Americans actually think about our independence when they shoot off their fireworks. I suspect it is very few.
It’s our freedom, that most of us take for granted, that we will miss when we don’t have it anymore. A friend of mine sent me this two years ago and I wanted to share it:
"If the heat of the summer gets to you, just remember it is not 120 degrees. We are not 5700 miles from home. We are not dressed in full uniform. We are not carrying 70+ pounds of gear. And there is little chance we will drive over a bomb today."
So when you fire off those fireworks remember we are independent because we have people protecting us while we celebrate Independence Day on this Fourth of July. God bless them for doing so.