Early this morning, I invited my husband to do something we've never done before, at least to my memory, and he said yes! So we went to the movies on a Saturday morning. "Young Washington" was a good reason to break with the norm and enjoy some time together.
Today is July 4, 2026.
250 years of Freedom! So cool! So amazing to me ~ the woman who remembers the awesomeness of celebrating 200 years of Freedom when she was a little girl. I am grateful for the staging of my life during this time in our nation's history.
"Young Washington" was much better than I anticipated. Much like the movie "Pressure," I wasn't sure what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised. Not because there was an overt " 'Murica!" message, but because the movie held an unapologetic confidence of a country whose story is worth knowing. A story that is as aware of its ugliness as it is of its beauty. A story that is not perfect but is not wrong. A story held in the hearts of both its haters and lovers.
The haters want the story to be changed. For it to become a story of weakness and defeat.
The lovers know the strength of the story, which may be like Washington's first battle at times, is found not in its knocks but in the persistence of getting back up. Again and again and again.
I'm a member of a family whose legacy is similar. Much like Tumbawumba, "we get knocked down, but we get up again. Ain't nothin' gonna keep us down!" Of the many (MANY!) aunts and uncles I have, most have served in our Armed Forces, and, all the way back to the drum and bugle corps in the Revolutionary War, my family has stood strong in defense of the Freedom we celebrate today.
I am incredibly proud to be an American!
Although my heart lurches over some of the choices every Presidential Cabinet has made in my lifetime (there are things I disagree with and agree with in every one of them), I will not throw the country out with the bathwater. Instead, I will choose to be the kind of American I was raised to be.
I will care about my neighbors and those around me.
I will fly the flag and care well for her because she symbolizes something every country on earth yearns for ~ strength, Freedom, and fortitude...along with Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, I guess. (don't come at me, I'm just having fun! *wink*)
I will exercise my right to vote because I am a Citizen of these United States, and it is my responsibility to exercise due diligence in studying, listening to, supporting, and challenging the platforms of those who run for public office.
I will care well for what has been entrusted to me because I am not owed anything.
I will defend the rights as outlined in the Bill of Rights, and I will defend them for the strength they have instilled that brought us to 250 years... because I want my grandkids, great-grandkids, and great-great-grandkids to continue celebrating every milestone birthday of this great nation!
I will read and know the Declaration of Independence that set this 250-year birthday celebration in motion because it's more important than living as if I simply checked the box that says, "I have read and agree with..."
As I sit at my desk, I look to my left and notice my left arm resting on an Army Airborne sticker, which is right next to a Naval Reserve SeaBee sticker, which is underneath a picture of the man whose memory embodies both of those branches of our great American Military. These stickers bring to mind the numerous stories I've heard in my lifetime from my family members who have fought to defend the rights of all American Citizens. I'm proud of my legacy.
Not only am I proud of my personal family's legacy, but I am also honored and grateful to know many, many men and women who have served. To all of us, may I encourage each of you to step away from the politics that are trying to divide us, weaken us, and wreak havoc upon this country, and to celebrate the fact that we are a country united in our Freedom, with much to be grateful for!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!
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