New Days to Remember

                        New Days to Remember

July 2, 2017: a beautiful sunny morning with wispy white clouds floating gently in a serene breeze. Hawks and turkey vultures using the air currents and updrafts to effortlessly search for hidden prey. A new promise in a new day.

We must try to keep this spirit alive in us through this holiday weekend. We must ignore all the negativity on the news channels and in the newspapers. This national holiday celebrates the birth of our nation, the day that representatives from all the former English colonies finally agreed to compromise, swallowing their acute objections to create a new idea with a new nation. This nation was not easy to create; it took much arguing, threatening, and compromise to succeed. Over the course of our history, there have been many contentious times. Arguments billowed over into sometimes physical fights on the floor of congress.

Times are no different today. We are still arguing over whose ideas are best to run the country. We have a love-hate relationship with our elected leaders, which is a healthy place to be. Our leaders and our free press push their ideas down our throats, expecting us to believe everything that is put in front of us.

But, you know what? We succeed. We are successful in driving our nation forward to something that, with compromise, is better for the people. Sometimes this takes years, but it always comes about.

So, when we criticize others, be considerate; things will change.

I know that this is not Veterans Day, or Memorial Day; but it is a time to remember that our independence did not come cheaply. Many men and women have sacrificed their lives to bring us where we are today. These heroes were Republicans, Democrats, Blacks, Whites, Native Americans, Asian Americans, gay, straight, scared, and brave. All types of humans died to bring us where we are.

Those of us who wore our country’s uniforms, or were married to, or raised by these men and women, understand this. Those who did not must allow a little empathy and understanding to enter their thinking to realize that our country is great, because we the people, the former military, the educators, the mine workers, the salesmen, the truck drivers, all Americans make this country great. We work at it; we sweat to bring this about. You are these great Americans.

So, my friends. Let’s think about this as we celebrate with hotdogs and hamburgers, coleslaw and potato salad, and my all-time favorite, corn-on-the-cob, none of which were invented by us, but were brought here by the immigrants whose families have helped make us a great nation.

God, please continue to bless America.