Freedom

As I begin this post, I feel like I need to break out into song. Perhaps, America the Beautiful; maybe Happy Birthday. But the song that comes strongest to my mind at the moment is Freedom. Tomorrow will celebrate our country's 233rd birthday. During these years, many things have changed, and many things have been forgotten

This morning, I was listening to the radio as I ran errands in preparation for the holiday weekend. When I turned on the radio, James Dobson with Focus On the Family was interviewing Dave Stotts about his Drive Thru History DVD series. As I listened to them talk about the great men and women who were responsible for giving us the freedom that we celebrate tomorrow, I began to think about what a wonderful privilege we have to live in this country; as well as the great responsibility that we have been given to leave this same freedom intact for our grandchildren.

Our founding fathers gave everything that they had for the betterment of our country and their families, knowing that it would mean leaving everything that they knew and loved along with the oppression that they were escaping from.

I cannot help but wonder what they thought as they began their journey to a place that they had never seen knowing that they would probably never be able to go back to their families again. Did they have any idea of the sacrifices that they were about to make? If they didn't, do you think that they would have made the choices that they did?

Freedom is all about making choices, taking chances, and living with the consequences. Today, I'm grateful that we have this freedom. Our family plans to celebrate by having friends over tonight to have a cookout, walking in the neighborhood parade tomorrow, watching fireworks tomorrow night, then topping off the weekend with baptisms at the lake on Sunday morning.

How will you be celebrating your freedom this weekend?