Inspired by . . . democracy
It’s 91 degrees and the southerly breeze is mostly hot. Yet every now and then I sense a coolness in it. It is refreshing enough to convince me to linger a little longer.
It’s July 4th and, except for the wind, which blows stronger than I would like, it is a near perfect day. Big, billowy clouds fill the sky, inviting me to find the hidden images they contain.
I sit here, on my porch, laptop in lap waiting for inspiration. I want to write about patriotism, about the foundations of our country. I want to write about the sensation I feel whenever I see the American Flag or hear the Star Spangled Banner being played.
I want to write about the emotion that clogs my throat when the VFW float rolls by; filled with weathered faces whose eyes still see the ghastly images of war.
The United States of America turns 238 years old today. It’s a birthday we celebrate. The birthday of the greatest democracy this world has ever known.
It’s a day to celebrate! And so we do, and so we should.
For some reason, this 4th of July I can’t stop thinking about the gifts. The presents we bring to the celebration. No birthday is complete without presents. Over these last 238 years we, the people, have given great and sacrificial gifts to this country.
It’s been a battle from the beginning, hasn’t it? It is still a battle.
A battle fought bravely by our military in the world theatre – and a battle fought here at home by those who still believe in the words of our Constitution.
Many are weary of the battle.
Yet I can think of few in history who might have been as weary as President Abraham Lincoln was on the day he gave the Gettysburg Address.
There is much that was different about that day than this day. But two things, I believe, remain the same:
We are standing on hallowed ground – brave men, living and dead, have consecrated it by their sacrifice both here and abroad, far beyond our ability to add or detract.
We are engaged in a civil war - it may not yet be a great war, nevertheless, this country is being tested. We may never again pick up arms against it each other, but make no mistake, these united states are becoming more divided every day.
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Lincoln understood the bigger picture – he knew what was at stake if this nation did not endure.
The same thing is still at stake today.
Democracy.
We should resolve, as our forefathers did, that our dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth.
Wishing you and your family
a safe and inspiring
4th of July weekend!
Blessings,
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