Miss Independence


Just this past weekend we celebrated the anniversary of our nation's independence. What a blessing it is that we live in a land where we are free to do so many things. Free to worship without fear, free to come and go wherever we please. This gift of freedom was fought for by our forefathers and it is maintained by many people today...people we might even know and love.

I was thinking about this over the weekend while I was working a fund-raiser at my parish. So many people were coming in from out of town to see the fireworks and I will be the first to admit that fireworks are my favorite, but I couldn't help but wonder if we view this freedom the way we view fireworks. I LOVE fireworks (love, love, love) but I love them from afar...I never want to get too close because it's dangerous. But is this the way we view freedom? We love our freedom, but do we fight for it, or do we love it from afar? No, no I am not talking about strapping on some gear and going off to war...but I am talking about fighting for things we know to be right. There are many things that we tend to look in the other direction when they happen...what do we do in the here and now? In our hometowns? Do we value the freedom that was so violently fought for with the importance it deserves? It makes me think a lot about the statement from (don't judge) Spiderman, "with great power, comes great responsibility." We have a great nation, a powerful nation. We have the responsibility to uphold the rights of all people!

So, back to my title...Miss Independence. This month I kinda feel like that...since I've moved from Colorado I have felt a lot of independence...sometimes it is scary, sometimes it is fun. But I am overwhelmed sometimes at the responsibility of being independent (My parents are on my speed dial for a reason :)). So as I sat watching the fireworks with friends I reflected on that independence that was believed in to the point of death...I thought about the people who are fighting for that freedom now, and the ones who have died fighting for it, and I felt an amazing feeling of gratitude to people I might never meet, but who have changed the world I live in! My prayer is that I fight for the freedom and dignity of every human person in this great and powerful nation that was founded on defending values!

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