Patriotism

Happy 4th of July.  I love the patriotic feeling of everyone on this day. I just wish it was an emotion we as a people would display passionately everyday of the year. After the last piece of barbeque, fried chicken, hot dog or apple pie is gone and the last wisp of smoke from the fireworks has wafted away so often does the emotion of what made us us--that thing inside us that makes us proud to be an American. You know of my love of Texas but I share a deep rooted love of America too. It is the land of my birth.

  I grew up in Norman Rockwell’s America…I grew up knowing those people in his portraits…not personally but people they represented. It was a time of optimism based on family values and spiritual stability. We knew who we were. This was a great country. My little piece was Laconia, New Hampshire.  My little town always held its Memorial Day parade ON Memorial Day regardless what day of the week the holiday fell. Patriotism was deeply rooted in our hearts. The 4^th of July was always my favorite…The whole uplifting ‘proud to be an American’ feeling permeated the air--the fireworks at ‘the Weirs’ or Opeechee Park.

  I think the 4^th of July was a favorite because I understood why the day was special. I had heard the stories you see. I knew about Paul Revere, Lexington & Concord, George Washington and the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence.

  How remarkable it all was to me. The whole affair seemed so improbable. How was it that those particular 56 men came together to write such a piercing yet monumental document? I have always been in awe of those 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. I was so taken that I wrote a term paper about it in high school. I wrote about what personal price those men paid for signing that document. I have always believed GOD had to have a hand in this. How these 56 came together from various backgrounds and circumstances and yet, found the courage to stand up to a king and persevere to create a country. The events leading up to the signing of that document 233 years ago stand as a unique moment in time that changed the world. It was a time when one’s word and honor stood for something. It was the right time for such momentous ideas--Liberty, freedom, pursuit of happiness for every man. It had never been done before—such a grand experiment that became a way of life.

  I’m not one to live in the past; however, I long to live where passion to be free to pursue my ambitions and dreams still thrives. I don’t get the sense anymore that we as a people are as enthusiastic about our national roots and the source of our American pride. Yes, it is still there but somehow muted. Remember how united we were in the days following 9/11? We all felt violated and attacked. We came together. The flag was displayed everywhere you looked.  We banded together in our dark moment of common hurt and anger. Overtime, even that seems to have faded.

As Americans we have been blessed more than any land or people have ever been. I do believe the very existence of our nation was guided by the hand of GOD. Those 56 men entrusted their lives and honor to each other. The result was the birth of a nation.  I pray we still understand and hold in our hearts the source of our patriotism and practice the values that make us uniquely American. Happy 4^th of July.