The Fourth of July for Me....

For me, this is my favorite holiday. It has always been a favorite for me. It began when I was a child. My family always got together for this day. We shared food, laughter,games,and at the end we set off fireworks. The sound of them, the beauty of all the color was spectacular for me. I have many fond memories of the 4th. It is a day of celebration,respect, and love. For all those men and woman who have given their lives, who chose to fight in wars that didn't seem to make sense. To them it made all the sense in the world, they were fighting for freedom,not just of person,but of mind and soul. Our country is still a very young country,but I wouldn't want to live any where else at all. Those who stand together for those who are weak and tired speaks volumes of who we are. As a country we may differ from each other,may not agree on a President, may not be able to see eye to eye on many levels,but we stand together as the United States of America. We are the land of the free, home of the brave. For me some of my favorite movies are war movies. I love history,and the story behind all these men and woman who chose to give all for their country. It is hard for me to watch war movies,although I love them so. I find myself coming to tears knowing the facts behind the movies are true. The war is real,the blood shed is real, and the hurt is so real. After World War 2 men came home as heros, welcome by all,as they should be.As they walked the streets, they held their heads proudly,and those around them were proud to know them,proud to just be in their company. It wasn't so after Vietnam,it was different. These men and women were fighting for their country to free another nation. It is still today misunderstood why we were there to begin with. The reason did not and should not have affected how these men and woman were treated as they came home. There was no greeting,there was no parties, and they felt unwelcome to come back to their home country that shunned them. These were are family members,friends and people who gave, and gave until they came home with nothing. This war was going on when I was just a babe, my father did not have to go,because of me. That is not true for today. We live in a country that wants freedom, but slowly our freedoms are being taken away, and all that these men and women did for us, will be in vain,unless we make a choice and stand for all they fought for. I have friends who are Marines, my step-daughter and her husband served in the Airforce, other young people have gone into the Army or Navy. They make this choice for many reasons,but as they stand they all stand for the same thing, Liberty and Freedom. They stand for the colors of red,white and blue. As they return home they should be welcomed with love and respect,even if you do not believe in the war being fought,these brave men and women give so that we may have a 4th of July, that we may have peace and enjoy the freedoms that we so often take for granit. As we have always celebrated this day,while our children were young we would have a bbq, then later we would all go as a family and watch fireworks at a local city. We would sit and watch fireworks eating icecream, and saying ooh, and awe. Today is a day about giving and receiving. We can receive because of what has been given. What an amazing day for us to celebrate. To be an American is a gift, it is a treasure, and it is what today is all about...For those who have served and fought,I say thank you and to your families I say job well done....