Celebrate Your Independence!
By Mirah W. (mwelday)
Chances are some of you have seen the email that makes the rounds this time of year that describes what happened to the men who signed our Declaration of Independence. Some of it is true, some is merely based on fact, and some is just inaccurate. But one thing is true: the men who signed the Declaration put themselves at risk. Some of them did lose their property, assets and even their own freedom. When I consider my life today I am thankful to live in a society where I have the freedom to speak my mind and stand up for my beliefs and not risk my life in doing so. I am thankful to live without someone else controlling the decisions I make.
But freedom is not free. Currently, our nation depends on 1% of our population to protect our freedoms. This is a big responsibility for a few brave souls. These sailors, airmen and soldiers live with uncertainty, separations from family, relocations and stress we can’t fathom. And they take on these challenges voluntarily. They sacrifice for 99% of us every day of their service.
This year for Independence Day I challenge you to live your life to its fullest. Celebrate your independence! Show the signers of our Declaration and the 1% who protect our freedoms that their efforts are not in vain. Place an American flag in front of your home. Wear red, white or blue. Do something you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have the courage. Read a book. Watch a fireworks show. Spend time with your family and friends. Go to the beach and listen to the waves. Watch a marathon of your favorite television show. Thank a member of our Armed Forces for his or her service.
Whatever you choose to do with your day, remember there are millions of people in the world who don’t get the simple choices we take for granted every day. Celebrate! The men who signed the Declaration of Independence over 200 years ago would want you to do nothing less!
Tags: Members
To celebrate today, I did somethings I never seem to have time to do…garden, read, and just plain sit and watch the river roll by…”THANK YOU” to the 1% that sacrifice their time, sacrifice their youth, and sometimes sacrifice their lives so that I can garden, read, and just plain sit and watch the river roll by…may your selflessness rub off on that other “one percent” who seem much more interested in preserving their wealth than improving the wellbeing of the remaining 99% of Americans.
I am thankful that I am living in a free country where I can make that statement and NOT worry about being arrested, imprisoned, or killed.
I probably appreciate it a bit more than most. My husband was born and lived as a child in Berlin, Germany right at the end of WW II (1945). When Berlin was divided, he and his family were in East Berlin. He did not live in a place where his mother and father could freely express their opinions. Ironic that his birthday is July 4th. Where he lived, it wasn’t a national holiday. In fact, there was a certain amount of resentment about the Independence Day of one of the countries that defeated Germany.
So, I’m now taking the time to think about what I can do to ensure that our daughter and grandkids will continue to enjoy their freedom…and maybe, just maybe…will inherit an America that cares about and works to improve the wellbeing of all its residents.
Very well said, Gail! I can’t imagine what life must have been like for your husband living in East Berlin as a child. But what destiny that his birthday was July 4…now you and your family live in America where you can appreciate a kind of life he didn’t get to experience as a child. I’m glad you were able to find your own way to celebrate the holiday.
So often in our country today I feel people take their freedom for granted or see it as something owed to them. People forget that with freedom comes responsibility. Responsibility to serve or support those who do. And not just serve in the military, serve in your community, serve your neighbor…do what you can to make our country strong.
I guess I’d like to add one more thing to my post above….if you are a family member or friend of our active duty military: when they say they can’t make plans because they don’t know where they’ll be at Christmas or they can’t make plans to go on that summer vacation, understand they really don’t know. I feel so often that people just don’t ‘get it’. How can I plan for next month when I don’t even know the schedule or plan for next week?
As a Navy spouse I live every day with uncertainty. Uncertain if my husband will be home tonight for dinner (as fate would have it he wasn’t with me on July 4th, the Navy got him that day), when we will be moving and saying good-bye to friends and family, or what the next day will even hold. But it’s an uncertainty I accept and prepare for. I don’t welcome those times I have to say good-bye to my husband, uncertain of when I will see him again, but I do it because I love him and I love our country. I am proud of what he is doing to protect me, our families and friends, our neighbors we have yet to meet, and those we will never even know the names of.