Today, July 4, 2017, we celebrate as Independence Day, but why?  It isn’t when the American Revolution started, that was in July of 1775.  It isn’t the day that the Continental Congress decided to declare our independence from Great Britain, that was on July 2, 1776.  It is in fact the day that the final draft of the Declaration of Independence was agreed upon.  It was the day that copies of the document were printed to be distributed throughout the new nation.  It was actually signed, however, on August 2, 1776.

Why is this important, you might ask?  Well, because these facts, and many others, aren’t being taught to our children and grandchildren in most schools anymore.  I would wager that most adults don’t know them either.  When we lose our history and traditions, when we lose our language and our borders, we lose our country.

So, on this day when we cook the hot dogs and brats on the grill.  When we enjoy the family gatherings and ooh and aah at the fireworks displays this evening, I hope we can reflect on how lucky we are to be Americans.  I hope that we can soberly remember all of our forbearers who fought and died to gain this nation and keep it free for all of us.  As they knew, freedom isn’t free, but rather paid for in blood, sweat and tears.  God grant that we never forget that fact.  The freedoms we currently enjoy can be lost in a single generation, never to regained.