Independence Day

Independence Day, the fourth of July, cookouts, heat, fireworks. 

A few things that I think of when I hear about this holiday. 

It must have been an amazing time to live through. I often think about the people who were so crucial to America's independence from Britain. It must have been terrifying, defying your country, knowing that you could be hung for treason if things did not go well. To stand up completely for what you believed in. I often wonder "could I do that"? I'd like to. Not that I want to leave my country and go to war with them, but if I lived then, would I have had the strength to endure? Could I risk all? I pray I am never faced with a situation like that. The colonists have my respect. 

The fourth of July. It's a special time for our family. My Grandma's birthday was July 3 and my dad's is July 2. So in some aspects it fits right in as another day, but in some it's special for the family. Typically we celebrate with a cookout. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, potato salad & watermelon. That's what we did yesterday as well. Very yummy and very anticipated. It's nice to know what to expect. 

Of course, it was hot. VERY HOT. Uncomfortably hot. Sigh. Trying not to complain as I prefer the heat to the cold, but the humidity can just go away. 

Fireworks around here are weird. They just don't do them like I grew up with fireworks. Many times they are not done on the fourth but days before or after. We always have a hard time locating them. And then the village we live in has a special celebration the next week so fireworks are saved for that. So, we saw a few in the sky driving last night, I think they were just private, but they were beautiful. 

Mostly yesterday I thought alot. Driving to church, looking at the fields, "Amber waves of grain" just kept rolling through my mind. In church, "America, America, God shed His grace on thee" was my constant theme. And throughout the afternoon, I kept thinking of how our nation needs to come back to that place. Back to the feeling of God needs to be first. Back to placing God first. Back to Biblical leadership, & Biblical values. I feel like we are in a losing battle, and I pray that we aren't to late.

God Bless America.