Friday, July 4, 2008

The Fourth of July

It is a grand celebration of independence and freedom that we offer on The Fourth of July! We have struggled for two hundred and thirty two years in an effort to live-out and to improve upon ideas and dreams of those who courageously stood in defiance of tyranny. We continue to evolve and, as we do so, become the realization of those hopes and passions that drove our ancestors. We create new and beautiful art and literature, music and dance. We advance medicine, science, and technology. We work for social justice and peace. We fight and die in foreign lands. We welcome strangers from borders that are increasingly guarded. We labor long hours at jobs that consume us in order to raise new generations of patriots. We stand for civil rights and The Bill of Rights. We engage in politics and unpopular causes despite the leanings of the majority. We worship or chose not to worship without fear of reprisal.

This is The United States of America. May we never cease to appreciate who we are. May we never cease to desire change. May we always strive for improvement.