John 13:34: Independence Day 2012

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Independence Day 2012

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

~ The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

I love the Fourth of July! Of all the national holidays, this day is the most important of all. The Fourth of July is about celebrating Freedom and doing so with Family gathered around lots of good Food and finishing the day with great Fireworks. I have many happy memories of this day throughout the various chapters of my life. A beach parade on Bald Head Island with Kathy and our son John where all of the residents decorated their golf carts in red, white and blue. Watching fireworks in New York City along the shores of the East River on a very hot Fourth one year. Coaching an All Star baseball team playing (and winning) on the Fourth. Living in Paris, celebrating with other ex-pats, and realizing for probably the very first time in my life how important and awesome "liberty and the pursuit of happiness" really were by living in another country.

Yesterday, I shared a picture/quote on Facebook offered by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. It created a spirited debate, especially between two old friends of mine, about freedom and democracy. While I did not really agree with either side of the conversation, I thought, "Only in America, are we truly free to such vigorous and animated discussions about issues and ideas that we citizens are passionate about." Those freedoms must always be protected and celebrated. (You can view the Facebook example here.)

In the Book of Common Prayer, the Collect for July Fourth reads:

Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

The best way to celebrate our freedoms in this country is to live them each and every day with as much passion as we can muster. Have a great Fourth of July. Give thanks for the freedoms which we enjoy today and every day.

Love One Another - Brian

What follows is a collection of quotes, musical offerings, an educational piece for the kids, and fireworks for those who maybe rained out or living on another shore. Enjoy!

GREAT QUOTES:

Where liberty dwells, there is my country.

~ Benjamin Franklin

We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.

~ William Faulkner

My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!

~ Thomas Jefferson

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.

~ Abraham Lincoln

One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, One Nation evermore!

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.

~ John F. Kennedy

So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

There, I guess King George will be able to read that.