I am a patriot! I love this country and all the freedoms I get to take for granted. Don't we all sit in our comfortable homes with our full tummies watching our flat screened tv's forgetting sometimes what kind of patriots it took to give us this lifestyle. One of the things I avoid lately is watching the news. The news might tell me about politicians who have cheated on their wives, or the people who put them in office. It might tell me about how the economy is failing, or it might tell me about a war still being fought in the middle east for someone's liberty from tyranny. It's so easy to turn it off and I have to admit, I do.
But I don't forget what it took to get us the valuable freedoms that we can be so casual about. I have written several blogs on how my parents raised me to be proud of my country. My kids are proud too. Marque loves the history. All you have to do is walk in his office at home to see a multitude of books on the raising up of America. Jimmy is the one who knows his politics. He was so excited to meet Alan Cranston in the Capitol when he was 14 years old. He knows that the country was not conceived to be a hierarchy, it was conceived with a balance of power. He knows that it is important to know who you are voting for other than just the President because of that balance of power. Scott is a protector of our rights as a police officer. So I would say we were able to pass on the patriotism my parents gave to me.
I remember school days when we began each day with our hands over our hearts pledging allegiance to the flag. It had power when I said those words. When I was in 6th grade the whole city of 6th graders came together in Denver to do a concert...we filled a huge auditorium. It was breathtaking when we all sang God Bless America in unison. I cried then, and it is a moment I will never forget. What I didn't realize at that time is that it was a pretty new song to America at the time. Irving Berlin who was not born in this country served in World War I and in 1918 wrote "God Bless America" for a play. It wasn't accepted well so it was tucked away in a trunk. He pulled it out, dusted it off and changed a few of the lyrics around 1940. Kate Smith sang it. It became her signature song. I loved Kate Smith when I was a little girl. Hers was one of the first tv shows I watched in the 50's and she always closed the show with God Bless America. Another thing I always loved about it was that all the royalties Irving Berlin received were donated to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America. That is still true. That is all side information...God Bless America is my favorite patriotic song because what it says, is what I feel.
God Bless America, Land that I love.
Stand beside her and guide her,
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam.
God Bless America, My home sweet home.
God Bless America, My home sweet home.
It's a prayer, isn't it? A prayer asking God to protect this beautiful country that houses us and our liberties. Simple lyrics, simple melody, but who can sing it without emotion?
Our Independence Day, The 4th of July, is one of my favorite holidays, because it is one we actually remember what the holiday is about. One of the things I resent is that holidays are sometimes celebrated more because it's a day off work, or school, than to remember what it's all about. I wonder if kids today even know what day Columbus discovered America, or is it just a day off? When is Lincoln's birthday, or Washington's birthday? It is just President's Day in February, another day from school. But on the 4th we seem to acknowledge and celebrate for the way our patriots fought the British so that we could pursue happiness in any way we see fit. They sweated in the hot days of summer with no air conditioning to map out the Declaration of Independence. Could they have even imagined the American Patriot of today? Even in the depths of the financial burdens we bear, most of us have so much. As we watch the fireworks we need to remember and acknowledge those who are still fighting, who sweat in the hot days in the desert for those who don't enjoy the freedoms and wealth we all enjoy.
Luckily I have had wonderful celebrations of the 4th of July in my lifetime. When I was young we lined up and marched to the front of the house as a family, posted the flag, and pledge our allegiance to it every Independence Day. Or we would find ourselves at my grandparents house in South Dakota and my grandma would run out to the car twirling a towel over her head saying "Hoowah, hoowah for the 4th of July"! As my kids grew we had block parties, barbecues and parades ending up sharing all the fireworks together. In 1987 we were on the Hudson River crammed with thousands. We started the crowd singing patriotic songs while we waited for fireworks over Hudson Bay. In Chesapeake, VA we listened to the Virginia Philharmonic Orchestra playing the 1812 overature with real cannon blasts before the fireworks started. One time we were at the Chesapeake Bay with boats parading while the most fantastic fireworks were timed perfectly with an orchestra playing. Then there was the time we took the metro in early morning down to the National Mall between the Capitol and Lincolns Memorial to enjoy the National Fireworks over the Washington Monument. Incredible! Enjoy the celebration and ask God to bless those who did the work in our history, those who are currently serving, and that we will always remember, and
God Bless America, Land that I love!
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