FREEDOM!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY…

Because our beloved nation’s birthday fell on this awkward Wednesday, like so many others, my family opted out of throwing a party until this weekend. However, we did not forget to reflect upon the meaning or purpose of the holiday. Just a few of my favorite things… Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Did I happen to mention freedom?

I read the Declaration of Independence today, and will share my favorite part below;

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government…

  I extend my warmest gratitude to these wonderful men who realized a dream and pursued it with such vigor and passion that I am able to sit here today and share these words. So thank you Mr. Hancock, Jefferson, Rush, Adams, Thornton, Paine, Chase, and Franklin (just to name a few)…

To commemorate such a holiday, I often adopt a service man/woman every couple of years and really connect with them. Recently, I spent a couple of weeks at Shemya Island, the most remote air station in the United States. There, I met a new friend from the U.S. Army. He’s stationed in Alaska for the next three years. To him, and every service man/woman that braves foreign lands or guards our homeland with their precious lives, my deepest gratitude for defending the Constitution and everything it stands for.

Happy Birthday America, I love you.

--- Elizabeth Komisar