ROBIN WRITES: Independence Day
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Independence Day has lost its name. In a moment of laziness or maybe just forgetfulness, many of us decided to take away the descriptive title and replace it with a calendar number.
To most people, the holiday is now just “The Fourth of July”.
The Fourth of July comes every year. Just as the fifth and the third. It means food and family and fireworks for most. A day off work for some; an excuse to relax and enjoy life. And that’s okay.
But when we stopped calling the holiday “Independence Day”, we started forgetting its importance.
Independence Day should be more than a party on a hot summer’s day. Its vital significance in each of our lives is evident in everything we do and say.
We waged battle to give others a taste of this independence, and yet our own tongues have grown dull to its flavor. The attacks on our homeland in 2001 reminded us how much we cherish our way of life…but memories have a way of fading—leaving the facts but watering down the feelings that stirred us to renewed patriotism.
This year, on Independence Day, we should commit ourselves to making an effort to appreciate why we’re celebrating.
Fireworks are more than loud, pretty displays to be seen from lawn chairs and car hoods. They represent battles won and lost in our struggle to be free. The flags that decorate our homes like fashionable banners are sacred reminders of the rights and responsibilities that come to those whose states are represented by a star on the fabric.
Family gatherings and time shared with friends on Independence Day should be centered on an appreciation of the ability to provide for ourselves through the blessings and opportunities our way of life offers.
The foods on your table that day are products of a free nation. The land you walk across on the way to your barbecue grill is yours through the freedom to work and own your own bit of America.
And those faces you see, smiling and asking for more potato salad or another hot dog, can do so with calm assurance of abundant supply. Our plates are overflowing with good things—all products of a society that embraces independence as a way of life.
Count your blessings with each burst of glittery fireworks. Remember those who faced fear and death on your behalf. Celebrate the endless array of benefits we enjoy as citizens of our country.
Be bold enough to say a prayer before your picnic meal, thanking God for making the day possible.
And please, for the sake of all that is important in life, when Saturday comes, call it by its earned name:
Independence Day.
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■ Robin is a freelance columnist who lives and writes in Quincy, Illinois. Contact her at [email protected].
