America – God Shed His Grace on Thee – Happy 4th of July

Today we celebrate our Independence Day.

It’s a special day for many; just a day off for others; and just another day for still a few more.

In the morning I will get up and fly my American Flag.

We will likely grill some hotdogs, break out the chips and dip, and accomplish a little yard work.

I’ll spend some time reflecting on my life and give thanks to God for our men & women who are overseas, those not getting to sit in their back yards and enjoy a cold drink.  I’ll ask God to protect them, to give them courage, to help them be people of honor and integrity, and to bring them safely home to their loved ones.

I’ll reflect and wonder at how far we’ve come these 232 years.  Indeed, how far we’ve even come in my life time.  I’ll be thankful and proud of the great things we’ve accomplished and I’ll be sad and remorseful for the mistakes that we’ve made.  I’ll wonder with amazement at the great accomplishments of my parent’s generation, and I’ll be saddened, almost sickened, at the lazy, selfish people many of us have become.

I’ll long for the rugged independence embodied in the many movie characters of John Wayne.

I’ll miss the determined, bold leadership of Ronald Reagan.

And sometime this weekend I’ll pop in a DVD and watch The Patriot.  I’ll watch the character, Benjamin Martin, in utter agony and personal defeat, an emptied broken man, bury yet another one of his sons.  I’ll watch him prepare to walk away from all that this great nation has come to stand for.  And then I’ll watch him pull his son’s American Flag from its pouch.  I’ll ponder with him as he recalls his son’s dedication and commitment to “stay the course”.

And then I’ll watch him crest the hill on horseback, stars and stripes waving in the wind as he rejoins his men, setting aside his own grief, his own needs, his own pain, to stay the course, to fight for freedom, to give us a land of the free and a home of the brave.  And I’ll weep.  I’ll weep tears of pride for the brave men and women who have gone before me and I’ll weep tears of sorrow for the greatness we seem to be letting slip away as those with means seem to be ready to sell their soul to keep it and those without means seem to be ready to sell their soul to get ‘what’s coming to them.”

I’ll go to bed thankful for our past and prayerful for our future.

I’ll get up and go to work Monday morning.  I’ll be thankful for my job, my health, and my beautiful family.  I’ll be grateful to those in uniform out “on the line”.  And I’ll ask God to, once again, shed His grace on Thee.