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I mentioned before that the 4th had some thought percolating in my brain, and I think that after running around playing catch up in blogland has shown me that a lot of you have had similar ideas. I am on the same page with HecateDemeter ( post link HERE) Bishop In The Grove (pot link HERE) and Kallan from the Secret Life Of The American Working Witch (post link HERE). I am very disappointed with the directions that America is currently taking, but I still love and am unswervingly devoted to the ideals that America was founded on.
I am that person who can't sit through a 4th of July parade or fireworks show without tears. To remember generations of people who not only created an ideal, but then sacrificed in every imaginable way in order for that ideal to survive. It never ceases to draw strong emotions from me. I feel such a strong connection through time to people who suffered for an ideal that our modern world takes completely for granted.
The 4th always reminds me that the world I live in did not just spring fully formed into being. People created it and cared for it. When I see veterans with silver hair and canes marching together under a banner that they are button busting proud to carry I can't help but think of the horror that they have seen and the hells that they have lived through. The loneliness that their families lived through while they were gone and abject terror that they lived with that a man with an envelope would knock on their door and tell them that their loved one was dead. And in a way all of them did die. The person they were when they left died out there in service to us, and their souls won't ever be the same. I can see the line of people that have given their lives and loved ones who wept for them down through the generations all the way back to a group of farmers standing on a hill with muskets facing down the most well trained military force in their world.
I owe those people a debt. Something that can not truly be repaid but still must be striven for. I owe them the debt of life. I am indebted to live my life to the fullest, and to live that life with honor. To make the world I live in worthy of their sacrifice. The ideals of our country are not dead. We are not dead, and we owe that to those who were willing to give their lives and part of their souls in order for the ideals to live on.
There are some debts that it is impossible to repay, but I still have to try.
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I still love the phrase,"Home of the Free, because of the Brave". As a Navy wife whose husband was gone on many long tours, I think it is very important to honor and recognize all who serve, served, and especially died serving. So much is taken for granted by many citizens. Your post is an excellent reminder.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully stated! And I am in whole agreement with you. Truly a fantastic post! xo
ReplyDeleteThe founding ideals of the United States are still great ideals for which to strive! Go for it!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't read this post straight through in one sitting. I read some and cried... I thought about all the candles that burned in my house during the Fourth of July. I read some more and cried some more... I remember all the mothers and wives I had to call to tell them I was thinking about their sons and husbands too... this is such a touching post; thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI get that way on the 4th, too. Most people don't even really understand what the 4th is about, really. I actually heard some kids walking around asking each other why we even celebrate the 4th of July, what is it for? It's hard not to be upset about that. I don't like where America is headed, either. And, I'm also of the opinion that I am powerless to stop it. It seems like such a monumental task.
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