Last night my family and I sat on the grass at the park and watched the fireworks display at the stadium. Other folk had gathered too for the same purpose. As the displays rose and burst with a lot of color and a lot of noise, I thought of what they represented: freedom bought with the blood of patriots, the opportunities that a great nation affords its citizens. And the blessing of living in America.
The Fourth of July, Independence Day, is a loud and noisy birthday celebration for a loud and noisy country. We are a young country, reaching out with optimism to our future but looking back with gratitude to our past. I am grateful for those patriots stretching all the way back to George Washington up to and including the ones today who “value freedom more than life”. And I’m thankful for parents who taught me to respect our flag and our Constitution, our independence and freedom.
As I walked with Matt and his family back up the hill last night after the fireworks display had finished, we glimpsed the solar lights in the container garden in my front yard. The closer we got to my house, the brighter the lights became. And I thought, This is what the celebration is all about–home, family, the freedom to live and grow and be what the Lord intended us to be. It was nice to see the breathtaking, dazzling displays that lit up the night sky on the Fourth of July but it was nicer still to see the quiet lights that directed my family and me to the very best place to be in this land of the free–the lights of home.
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