There was one little incident over the fourth. It was just a little thing, but it brought some big reflection. All my family came home. For this mama, there is no greater joy. I love it when they are under my roof, spread out all over the floors, the screen door slamming as they run in and out, and watching quantities of food get devoured. It is the stuff that family is made of. The night of the fifth (after the parade, the carnival, the arts and crafts fair, and the awesome Pagosa fireworks), we pulled out the SAM's Club version of sparklers and pop-its, gave the kids some ground rules, and let them celebrate again in front of the house. However, before the rules; before the boundaries were laid; the 12 grand-children that were present were already a little difficult to contain. Several had already opened their pop-its and before we knew it, shots were ringing across the ground. Military son, Adam, still a little fresh from the battlefield, might have retrieved his heart from the next county over. Somehow it all caught him off guard, and laughingly said, "Whoa...wait a minute, let's get some rules here, Uncle Adam's PTSD is kicking in..."
Adam was joking, of course. However, I wondered, as those little shots rang out, just what memories of his deployments came flooding into his mind. He has fought for freedom. As he eloquently told us in a poem he wrote long ago, about Iraq, he fought "there" to protect us "here." He understands the cost of freedom. Adam knows what war looks like, and how past and present converge to keep this country great...
Freedom is fragile, and I know that. There are no guarantees that the "there" won't happen "here". So, I don't want to take it all for granted. I want to celebrate some facts of freedom, while we still have time. Facts like the following:
Free speech..
Free enterprise...
The ability to bear arms
To know I am innocent until declared guilty
I can worship as I please when I please
What I read and listen to are not filtered through a government controlled outlet
I can travel where I want, when I want, how I want
Food gets stocked and re-stocked regularly on grocery shelves
Gas is available (at a cost, of course) when my car is empty
Medical attention is available
I am unthreatened, live with security, and peace
My grand-children can be educated (all of them)
Of course, there is a "but" to follow... The apostle Peter warns us, with these words, and they seem to be appropriate, not just as individuals, but as a country:
Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that comes among you...as though something strange were happening to you (1 Peter 4:12)...
As I read that this morning, I'm reminded again, that yes, freedom is always fragile. We have no guarantees that the "there" won't happen "here." Let's not be surprised. Let's not be caught off guard. Let's be prepared to be loving light, Jesus-followers, hope-givers, and gospel-speaking-truth-tellers. Let's learn to love like there's no tomorrow today. Let's find our security in Jesus and not in a government. Let's exercise the rights our freedom has earned us for the sake of our families! Let's celebrate what we have...and by all means, let freedom ring til our last breath!
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