I was awakened at 2:15 a.m. by the realization that it is the 4th of July. I lay there and try to go back to sleep. Thinking of my gratitude, concern, and prayers for this great nation I can't drift off again. I realize I HAVE to get up, write about my feelings before I will find sleep again. First I pulled up Marque's facebook page, and then his blog. http://www.marqueandsarah.blogspot.com/. These led me to a speech George Washington gave as he left the office as the first President and Commander in Chief, which led me to a speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. We are blessed people to live in this land, and gratefully my kids count that as one of their greatest blessings too.
Marque loves this country and all that it stands for as much as I do. I love that he is so able to express it. I love the fact that I can be taught by him now about how to be a patriot. Marque loves the history of America. He loves hearing and reading about the nation growing from it's infancy. His home library is filled with books on the subject of wars, heroes of wars, patriots from the earliest days of America's occupancy, down through the ages. He recognizes we are slipping from the, God given, principles set as foundation of this government. He avidly watches the American History channel, not casually, but with intent. Jimmy too is a patriot. He loves politics. He understands exactly why our government was set up with a division of labor. Hailey and Mady were taught about the powers of the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches of our government. He too worries about the direction of our country, how misled people are in how they interpret our laws and our constitution. He and Scott also watch the History Channel more than any other TV. Scott stands for his values every day as a police officer. I know he passes them on to people he comes in contact with, whether they be fellow officer, traffic violator, youth, or hardened criminal. I know all my kids will teach their children how to stand when the National Anthem is sung, or when a flag passes by. They will all post a flag in the front of their house so they display their honor for it's standard. I'm grateful that they embraced and personalize their history, their pledge, and are not sloppy in their gratitude for all it's tenets.
It is a code of belief that has been passed to them through my parents, and their parents. My Grandpa Bliss fought in France in World War I. He was 19 and came home with permanent damage to his lungs from a mustard gas bomb while he was in the trenches. Grandma Bliss is the most recent pilgrim to our country in our immediate family. She came from Scotland when she was 18. She embraced the American dream and wanted nothing more than to be considered American. Others kept their Scottish brogue, but Grandma worked hard to remove any doubt in her language that she was anything but American. My Grandfather Johnson lived his patriotism working farms in South Dakota. He rarely left his ranch to see this beautiful c0untry, but I remember his glassy eyes as he stood at Mt. Rushmore and proclaimed his love for the leaders displayed in granite there. We would go to see them at 4th of July frequently. On one particular occasion when we arrived Grandma Johnson came flying out the farmhouse door saying "hoowah, hoowah for the 4th of July!" That's how my mom and I greeted each other yesterday when we talked on the phone. Our roots of patriotism grow deep. I wrote last year in my blog about my family tradition on the 4th and other patriotic holidays of posting our flag. It was an embarrassment to live through, but I'm grateful for system of belief my parents imposed on me, that I eventually embraced wholeheartedly and (apparently successfully) passed on to my children.
I have a very difficult time sitting while the National Anthem and other patriotic songs are sung in church without standing. For a time I was chorister in Relief Society and would have all the sisters (who could do so) stand and sing each song. I have even gone so far as to ask the Bishop if we could please stand when singing. Today is actually the 4th, so I am already thinking about the discomfort of sitting through a patriotic song, or standing anyway, even if by myself. I love Lee Greenwood's song God Bless the USA, especially where he says,
It is a code of belief that has been passed to them through my parents, and their parents. My Grandpa Bliss fought in France in World War I. He was 19 and came home with permanent damage to his lungs from a mustard gas bomb while he was in the trenches. Grandma Bliss is the most recent pilgrim to our country in our immediate family. She came from Scotland when she was 18. She embraced the American dream and wanted nothing more than to be considered American. Others kept their Scottish brogue, but Grandma worked hard to remove any doubt in her language that she was anything but American. My Grandfather Johnson lived his patriotism working farms in South Dakota. He rarely left his ranch to see this beautiful c0untry, but I remember his glassy eyes as he stood at Mt. Rushmore and proclaimed his love for the leaders displayed in granite there. We would go to see them at 4th of July frequently. On one particular occasion when we arrived Grandma Johnson came flying out the farmhouse door saying "hoowah, hoowah for the 4th of July!" That's how my mom and I greeted each other yesterday when we talked on the phone. Our roots of patriotism grow deep. I wrote last year in my blog about my family tradition on the 4th and other patriotic holidays of posting our flag. It was an embarrassment to live through, but I'm grateful for system of belief my parents imposed on me, that I eventually embraced wholeheartedly and (apparently successfully) passed on to my children.
I have a very difficult time sitting while the National Anthem and other patriotic songs are sung in church without standing. For a time I was chorister in Relief Society and would have all the sisters (who could do so) stand and sing each song. I have even gone so far as to ask the Bishop if we could please stand when singing. Today is actually the 4th, so I am already thinking about the discomfort of sitting through a patriotic song, or standing anyway, even if by myself. I love Lee Greenwood's song God Bless the USA, especially where he says,
"And I gladly stand up,next to you and defend her still today.‘
Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,God bless the USA"!
God bless the USA!
God bless the USA!
1 comment:
Thanks, Mum, for teaching us right!
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