It’s the 4th of July … the calendar says so … but it’s all so very different this year. I’m not complaining … just noting that it’s so very different this year.
It’s different in part because the kids and I are not “on the road again” doing SALUTE AMERICA shows, and for over 30 years, from Memorial Day to Election Day, patriotic programs were the norm. But with everyone scattered from Indianapolis to Fenton to Lynchburg to Manhattan to England, it’s a little difficult to pull off the shows!
It’s also different because we aren’t together this year as family. Brandon and Charity will celebrate somewhere in Indiana; I think Patty and the kids are in Knoxville/Gatlinburg; Joshua and his friend Amber are celebrating in Washington, D.C.; perhaps Jordan and Joy will join other family in the Detroit area for a limited family get-together; and me … I’m connecting with two other American families for a cookout in the Channock Chase National Forest across the pond in England!
It’s different, too, because our family recognizes at a new level of understanding the price tag that accompanies freedom … wherever it is enjoyed in this world. This is our first 4th of July since 1973 without Justin …and that’s tough!
And somehow, I quietly hope in my heart that today, as America celebrates her independence for the 231st time, that many will pause for at least a moment in their day, contemplate the cost (not in dollars and sense, but in lives) for maintaining that freedom, and be grateful that others have made tremendous sacrifice to insure it for another day.
God Bless The U.S.A.!
