The Fourth Of July ... It Must Be More Than Fireworks!

I have always been fascinated by the Fourth of July, and the events surrounding it.

Being from Canada originally, with Canada Day being celebrated July 1, this has always been a dream, four-day weekend! Americans have always been big on fireworks, and we often participated in our neighborhood blasts.

And the food. Always the food!

But this day must be about more than fireworks. With my U.S. citizenship comes an ever-increasing  awareness of the awesome responsibility that I now have. Like most, I have often heard and read the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, but I had never read the entire document until today.

It is rather amazing, to say the least - the initial attempts by the colonies to resolve issues with the Great Britain, then the litany of complaints against the King, as detailed in the declaration, and the ensuing events, otherwise known as the American Revolution.

This was not an easy beginning. I am taken, as well, with the statement that governments "derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." This is why it is so vital we know what our various governing entities are doing, that we participate, run for office, and that we vote. In other words, give our consent.

"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"......"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

There is much work yet to be done. We are indeed faced with many challenges. Safety and happiness was a big deal then, inherent in the thought process leading to the formation of the new government. So, too, was acknowledgement of, and reliance on a Creator. Is it still so today?

I encourage you — sometime before the parade, the food, and the fireworks —to read the whole document, and ponder for a moment the pledge of support, and how you might honor that.

Check it out here: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/