Happy 4th of July

The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, is a federal holiday that celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of the Independence on July 4th, 1776. The Declaration of Independance was drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776.  It was at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.  Fifty-six signatures follow the body of this document,  It is an amazing piece of work.  Have you ever read it?  If you haven't then click here and read through it.  It is only one page.  Today there will be parades in many towns across the country, there will be fireworks once the sun goes down at homes and in public places, and there will be countless grills firing up to cook hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, etc.  Potatoes will be consumed in the form of potato salad and chips.  Families and friends will gather and spend time together in celebration of this day.  What will you be doing?  We are going to a cookout at a neighbors house.  I love being an American.  I love the freedoms it gives me.  I cry when I hear the National Anthem.  My heart bursts when I see the American flag unfurled and flapping in the wind,  Today is an important day in my world.  How about in yours?  It is more than just bar-b-ques, fireworks, and parades....it is about  freedom, sacrifice, and a dream.  The four verses of the National Anthem pretty much sums up my feelings on this day.

National Anthem Accapella performance

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

God bless you all today, stay safe, and have a wonderful 4th of July....no matter where you may be.