Ooooh!  Aaaah!  It's time for the "Red, White and Blue!"  The 4th of July means brilliant fireworks, jubilant parades, marching bands, picnics, barbeques, and family gatherings all across America.

But we should also try to remember what we're celebrating ... the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, when the Continental Congress declared the United States of America independent from Great Britain.

Independence Day makes me think of many of our ancestors who came to this new, strange and often dangerous land.  Most of these people had few belongings and very little money, but came here with the ideals of freedom and equality.

In the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that "all men are created equal," and that they have an inalienable right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Our ancestors had much to learn and had to work very hard to survive and build this country into the wonderful land we now live in.  It was many of these same ancestors that sacrificed and gave their lives to hold these ideals against all odds that we would ever win our freedom.  It was bought with blood from 1775 to 1783, by a rag-tag Army of volunteers of all colors.  They defeated one of the mightiest nations on earth so that we could pursue Thomas Jefferson's beliefs.

What brave people have come before us!  Independence day, like everyday, is a time to thank God for our freedom and allowing us to live in the United States of America.

God Bless America

It's Not Too Late

I Am The Flag

Statue Of Liberty