It’s so easy to take things for granted. Last night we sat and watched The Macy’s 4th of July Celebration on TV. There I was lounging in my “easy chair” in my air-conditioned house watching my big screen after chowing down on my traditional Independence Day meal – sausage and peppers on the grill, corn-on-the-cob with a side of Shiner Bock. Yup, fat and happy, that was me last night.
The fireworks display in New York was like nothing I’d ever seen. What a spectacle. The first thought that raced to the top of my mind was 9/11. I still find it difficult to find the words to express my feelings about that day. A mere mention and the slide show of those indelible images begins to play in my head. It’s like it happened yesterday. My heart continues to break for those whose hearts were broken that day and for those innocent victims who lost their lives.
Then my mind turned to a more positive thought of the resilience of the American people and the people of New York. While life changed for all of us on that fateful day, thirteen years later there’s no better place to live on the planet than the good ole US of A. Last night was a beautiful example of that.
Macy’s hit every red blooded American between the right and left ventricle by featuring patriotic music including classics like Grand Old Flag, America The Beautiful, The National Anthem and God Bless America. Yes, songs that mention God, imagine that! This made me think of our forefathers; those amazing American leaders who built the foundation and had the vision for this amazing country of ours.
As the celebration came to a crescendo, my mind shifted to the men and women who have fought and continue to fight to protect our freedom, those brave souls who have made the ultimate sacrifice, those who have lost their lives so we can continue to enjoy ours. It served as a valuable reminder for me to include our heroes and their families in my thoughts and prayers every day.
You can say what you want about the dysfunction in government and our political leaders’ inability to come together on the critical issues we face in this country today. I know there are a lot of Americans who are unhappy with the current state of the union. The next time you start feeling disgusted, just think about how lucky we are to have the freedom to voice an opinion and take action to do something about it. It’s undeniable to me – This is still the world’s greatest country.  Last night reminded me how lucky I am to be an American.