After spending two July 4ths outside of the USA, this year was quite emotional. In fact, I didn't really see it coming. I went to church on July 3rd in my patriotic looking outfit and was looking forward to a nice service. However, I was slammed with a beautiful tribute to our servicemen and women complete with all the great songs and readings from American documents. We said the pledge and sang the national anthem. I really had a hard time containing myself.
There are still things about America that bother me, but on that particular day I was overcome with the sense of pride in our founding fathers and what they fought to create. I stood outside with my niece and nephew watching fireworks and thought to myself how wonderful freedom really is.
Traveling and living overseas absolutely changes your perspective. You now have a global perspective that is sometimes hard to reconcile with our wealth, waste, and wonderful attributes. I suppose I will love the things about America that are lovable (democracy, freedom, opportunity, innovation, etc etc etc) and hate the things that are detestable (moral decline, waste, ignorance, ethnocentrism etc etc etc).
Although an emotional weekend, I did enjoy the sense of patriotism that I had not felt in quite a while.
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever."
--Adams wrote this in a letter to his wife, Abigail, on July 3, 1776.
1 comment:
This is am amazing post. I am proud to be an American; in God I trust...
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