The 4th of July.

A nationwide celebration.

With thankful hearts we gather.

Family, fun, cook outs, parades, fireworks.

So many gave so much so we could be free.

Free from tyranny.

Free from oppression.

Free to exercise our religion.

Free to speak our minds.

Free to even disagree.

Free to celebrate or not.

With each other.

Or alone.

Inside or out.

On land or on water.

We can even choose the city or

little burg in which we do our celebrating.

Freedom.

The heat here in the mid-west was to say the least oppressive on our day of celebration.

None the less, we gathered.

Hundreds, even thousands, for our annual celebration.

Here are a few of my observations.

I am free to make them.

*       America is STILL the greatest country on earth.

*       NO PLACE enjoys the freedoms that we do.

*       Although there was traffic, we were still free to move about where and when we pleased.

*       No one requested to see our papers, or barred our entry, and we were

not beaten for being where we had chosen to be.

*       America ~ We are free to be as we ourselves choose.

*       We are free to dress as we choose.

*       We are free to eat what we choose.

*       We are free to go where we choose.

*       For good or bad, we are free to act as we choose.

*       Low cost family opportunities will draw families out even if the weather is dreadful.

*       Tall spraying fountains spraying 58° ground water into the air don’t hurt!

*       Nothing sends hot, tired families with little ones to their air-conditioned vehicles like at the end of a grand finale of fireworks.

*       It IS possible to celebrate without air conditioning.

*       Gratefulness and thankfulness are choices.

*       With all our freedoms, sometimes we forget.

Choosing to remember that even hot masses of people, polite or otherwise, are still …

 Fearfully and wonderfully made.

*