My Favorite Holiday!

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday.

It has been since I was a kid. There is something about a good barbecue, parades, sparklers, hearing John Philip Sousa marches, and fireworks that I really enjoy. It is nostalgic, patriotic, and all-American. It is one of the holidays that all American's can celebrate together. Everyone can enjoy and appreciate this day because it isn't directly associated with a religious day, someone's birthday, or a made up day with Hallmark's support. It is something only celebrated by Americans for America.

New Year's Eve is also a holiday that everyone can celebrate but it really isn't as exciting in my opinion. We are acknowledging another year, getting older, and remembering that we are not achieving things in life that we wanted to achieve. No wonder everyone drinks too much! Plus it is always too cold to really have a good time. Even Labor Day is to celebrate the working man. We are all grateful to be able to make a living but celebrating working with a day off seems odd to me.

The 4th of July is the best holiday. One thing that strikes me is that we commonly call it the 4th of July. It makes it sound like we just picked a date in July to throw an annual summer party. It is Independence Day. For those who need a little history lesson... it is a celebration to acknowledge the day that our country proclaimed its independence from Great Britain, July 4, 1776. This year we are celebrating our 232 year of independence.

We have all heard the first part of the declaration, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Who doesn't love that part? It sounds so good and makes you feel strong and proud to be an American.

But if you keep reading the document it gives a detailed list of why we are proclaiming our independence. It explains all the things that the King was doing to the people in the colonies and to the government that had been established. I think we all remember the Tea Party protest about taxes and the original desire to have freedom of religion. But when I was reading this list of reasons there was one that stood out to me, "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people." It is hard to imagine this happening on our soil by another country. People's lives being ruined by another country is difficult to even grasp. We have had it good for a long time.

When the 9-11 attacks happened it sure was a wake-up call on how different our world is from other countries without freedom. Not all American's get along, believe in the same things, or have the same values, but we make it work somehow. We exist in the same places, go to work or school everyday, and for the most part function peacefully as individuals despite our differences.

Independence Day is something that all Americans can celebrate together-that in itself, is worth celebrating! It is a time for all of us to appreciate what we have, what it took to get it, and what it takes to maintain it.

Happy Independence Day!

Share the Love - Moments of Appreciation

I believe all thanks go to God for blessing me with the ability to earn a living and afford to buy things that help me live a comfortable life. I thank God for the people He has put around me to shape me, challenge me, help me, support me, and love me. It has recently come to my attention that I am thankful for a lot of things.

Do you ever have a moment when something that you have taken for granted for a long time is suddenly thrown at the forefront of your life? It may be a moment of misery that causes you to remember how great life is or was, but none the less you become very grateful for the things in your life. These precious moments put your priorities in clear focus and cause you to reflect on how good life is.

Here are some things that I am very appreciative of:

- Being raised by two parents in the mid-west
- Parents who attend the ballgames of their kids even though they are not that good just to cheer them on and hopefully see them do something good
- Friends who support you when you need advice or encouragement
- Moms and Grandmas with sewing abilities
- Air conditioning and Air Conditioning repair people
- Electricity and Power Company repair people
- Computers and the Internet & Facebook
- People who voluntarily serve our country in the military
- Military families that sacrifice time with their loved ones so they can protect the rest of us
- Being able to travel places quicker in a car
- Working with a good leader
- Having trusting people to delegate important work to
- Working with people that make you laugh
- People who have the ability to fix things around the house
- People who know how to play a musical instrument (especially the trumpet!)
- Smooth whole grain bread without all the flaky, nutty, grainy texture
- The minute clinic that is open on Saturdays
- When men open doors or pull out chairs for women
- People who say please and thank you--especially children!
- Washing Machines
- State Troopers who keep our roads safe and are respectful to you when they pull you over
- State Troopers who give warnings even when you really deserved a ticket
- State Troopers who have a sense of humor and can appreciate being late for church
- Mom's who help their grown children with laundry and ironing
- People who take vacations at Disney
- Libraries
- Wi-fi
- Cold water
- Hot water
- Television, DVRs and shows that are not stupid
- Sisters who do your laundry when they visit your house when you are not home
- Dad's who go on school field trips and volunteer at school
- Teachers that allowed students with summer birthdays to celebrate with the class during the school year
- The Bible
- Pastors who know their stuff, have a solid character, are great communicators, and just love people
- People who compose music (seriously... how do they do that?)
- How kids learn to communicate and speak
- Funny and innocent things that kids say
- Antibiotics, antihistamines, ibuprofen
- Pizza and ice cream
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.. okay who am I kidding - ALL cookies without nuts or coconut!
- Substituting applesauce for oil when baking
- Healthy muscles and bones in your feet, back, and neck
- Breathing easily and without complication
- People who quit smoking
- Coaches that care about their players on and off the field/court
- Coaches that teach character, values, and responsibility in addition the the skills of the sport
- Dr. Oz
- People who follow the rules
- People who don't follow stupid rules
- Mom's who try to do it all
- Sesame Street, The Muppets, Little House on the Prairie, and The Facts of Life
- Waiting to see and the timing of a sunset
- College professors who grade the content of your papers and give constructive feedback to make you think rather than grade you on your ability to cite references and follow APA formatting
- People who let you go ahead of them at the grocery store when you only have a few items
- Playing sports as a kid for fun and staying in shape as an adult to stay healthy
- Dad's that buy surprises for the whole family at Christmas without consulting mom
- Aunts that spoiled you with attention when you were little

I am sure I could keep going for days. What are you appreciative of?