4th of July ramblings.....

I really wanted to do some great, poignant, make-ya-think post about the 4th of July, but my brain is struggling with coming up with something.....

.....so this is what you get from me.

"The right to freedom being the gift of God,

it is not in the power of man to alienate this

gift and voluntarily become a slave."

--Samuel Adams

"America will never be destroyed from the outside.

If we falter and lose our freedoms,

it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

--Abraham Lincoln

Sometimes I feel like this country is going to hell in a hand basket and our forefathers would be so disappointed if they could see what was going on right now. (I am going to try to not get too political here) I feel that some of the things that the government is doing is not what our founders had in mind.

That if they could have looked into the future and seen what was going to happen, they would have just said "to hell with this! I am not going to put my blood, sweat, and tears out there for those ungrateful bastards!"

I think that too many people have lost the magnitude of what freedom really is, and that freedom does not come free. Everyday life has gotten so hectic and full of technology that the American people have forgotten about all the sacrifices, bloodshed, and loss that has happened to gain our freedom in the first place.

Too many people have also forgotten about all the men and women who are serving our country right now and the sacrifices that those people make every single day. It is not just the sacrifices of the service men, but also their families.

There are alot of children out there who don't get tucked in by their mom because she is currently deployed. There are too many children who don't get to play catch with their dad because he is currently fighting for our country. That is a huge sacrifice!

I have many family and friends that have served/are currently serving our country. Thank you so much for putting your life out on the line to help maintain the freedoms that I enjoy every single day.

I just sat down and read the Declaration of Independence. I really quite liked it. It pretty much told Britian and the King to go to hell. There are many statements made in that declaration that pertain to life today. I wish that document would be reviewed by some higher power besides little 'ol me, and maybe some things would/could change in this country.

No, I am NOT talking about the 'change' that Obama promised!

Ok, I gotta stop now or it's going to get too ugly.

On a lighter note,

I love the celebration of our country's birthday. It is so much fun to get together with family and have a great time.

This quote says it all:

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. -Erma Bombeck

It is just not the 4th without Gramma Elaines homemade root beer, or Noreens yummy bakes beans, or, a newer tradition, those yummy things that Tracy makes that taste like a fluffy-licoricey-heaven.

I hope that over the years I can instill a sense of family, patriotism, and gratitude for this great country in my children. I hope that I can successfully teach them about the sacrifices made to gain our freedom, the hard work that comes with keeping our freedom, and to never take it for granted.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!