God bless the USA...

I will not pretend to know everything nor do I fully understand. I cannot even fathom the ultimate sacrifices that have been made or even begin to express the gratitude that I feel with ever fiber of my being for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, their life. What I can do is declare to the entire world that “I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”

When I think of the 4th of July I instantly think…TRADITION; traditions passed from generation to generation celebrating freedom. Parades, fireworks, flags waving in the wind, apple pie a la mode, yellow ribbons tied around the old oak tree, barbecues, family and friends are always a given, but it is more, much more than that. It is the certain truths that resound; The Declaration of Independence, the American Flag, the Statute of Liberty, the Star Spangled Banner, and “In God We Trust”.

For more than 200 years, the American flag has been a prominent icon in our national history and the symbol of our nation's strength and unity. It's been a source of pride and inspiration for millions of citizens. The colors of the flag are symbolic: Red symbolizes hardiness and valor, White symbolizes purity and innocence and Blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.

Located on Ellis island in the New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of friendship and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Declaration of Independence declares to the entire world “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.”

The Star-Spangled Banner accompanies just about every major American function, but listen to the words and it tells of a moment in US history when the war was being fought and one man’s relief in seeing the US flag still flying after a ferocious attack. Who doesn’t stand a little taller and sing a little louder when it’s the words “And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air. Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there. O say, does that Star - Spangled Banner yet wave; o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”~~Abraham Lincoln (Second Inaugural Address, Saturday, March 4, 1865)

I am truly thankful to be a citizen of the United States of America. I honor and have a deep respect for the brave men and women and the sacrifice that they (and their families) made and continue to make every day. I cherish the freedoms that this country bestows upon my family and the blessing it is to live in the United States of America. May God bless the USA!