The Past and Present 4th of July

I’m one of those people that stores a lot of mental notes about things, both on purpose and by nature. When I go somewhere I’ve been before, my brain automatically spits out a mental picture of what I was doing the last time I was in that certain spot and any other random facts that were stored in my cerebral maze. With that said, July 4^th is my favorite time in the summer. I love decorating, grilling, fireworks, and the endless amount of red, white, and blue that can be found all over. We reclaim the pride of our flag and unite again as Americans, loving the land we live on. Combining my fact storing brain with a love of the history of my country and writing, this week I am naturally drawn to the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence; the realization of a dream that changed everything.

June 28^th, 235 years ago, a copy of the committee draft of the Declaration of Independence was read in congress. Over the following week the draft of the declaration went through debate and revisions. On July 2^nd congress declared independence as the British Fleet and army arrive in New York. On a sunny morning of July 4^th in Philadelphia, P.A. congress adopts the Declaration of Independence as our own. And the rest is our history.

I’m not a romantic, but I love the rawness of our country’s roots, those men in rooms holding secret meetings on whether to go war, using an immeasurable talent for rhetoric to choose liberty or death. “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and it is the lamp of experience.” Here Patrick Henry was using his wit and talent to drive the Virginia Convention to action. John Adams used his words to persuade Jefferson to be the writer of such a document ”Reason first – You are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second – I am obnoxious, suspected and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third – You can write ten times better than I can.” And so the primary author of our most cherished document began writing.

The 4^th of July to me is all red, white, and blue. It’s boats and flags and fireworks and family. Hotdogs with a char mark, cheeseburgers sizzling, potato salad and strawberry pie. It’s a day that America comes together again, much the same way we did after 9/11, and we celebrate how far we’ve come, our victories and failures. We love ourselves unconditionally. We’re very proud of who we are, and we are especially sensitive to the men and women that are fighting America’s war, while many of us relax into the comfort of the borders they protect.

Monday our country celebrates 235 years of freedom. The back yard bbqs will be sizzling all weekend cloaked under the shade of a big, beautiful American flag. As you celebrate a wonderful holiday with those you care about, listen for the voices of our ancestors whispering at us. Listen for their approval of how we live, and their disapproval. For whichever you hear deserves to be heard. If there is something you can do to make the dream they created so long ago a better one, then do it. Do this in the name of the men of 1776 who served our country with allegiance, and in the name of the men and women of 2011 who still serve with the same adoration for greatness. I have learned what my duty is as a red, white, and blue blooded American, and I carry that lamp of experience wherever I go.