WE hold these truths to be self-evident...

In a country that barely reminds me anymore of these lofty words, it stirs my heart to read them again. It so much feels like today that our attitude is much different. What can I get for nothing? How can I get out of working and still live? Of course I fight these feelings daily myself (and might be the reason I am blogging now, and not working...ahem...but I digress).

She may be 235 years old, and we may have become so accustomed to freedom that we take it for granted. I am certain, however, that this is the best deal on the planet.

We gathered together on Independence Day to hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud on the courthouse steps. Fine words. What passed through my mind was the gravity of the meaning of this document. Pledging, "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" to this cause, 56 men solemnly vowed. For decades, and even centuries since, people from all walks of life have invested the same, for the future of this country. It is only because of those willing to sacrifice, those willing to lay down their own comfort for the benefit of the rest, that I am able to enjoy the freedoms I do today.

I salute them.

God Bless America.