I looked at my calendar last week, and there it was, the Fourth of July.
Time to haul out the red, white, and blue.
Except–a lot of the decorations were already up.
America the Beautiful.
Land of freedom and choices.
The past couple of years, we’ve had choices we didn’t expect.
Last fall, two snipers stalked the greater Washington area.
Some of us changed our routines, some of us refused.
While we could still choose, we certainly didn’t feel free.
Only a few months later, we went to war.
Service men and women lost their lives.
Families have been separated for many months.
I have consoled a friend whose son was in Iraq.
I have worn my red, white, and blue, and waved my flag.
I have purchased and stored gallons of drinking water for emergency
shelters.
I have filled out countless emergency-contact forms.
So, most of the decorations were already up.
I went to the mailbox to hang the last festive ribbons
and found my new Newsweek, with the headline, “Is Gay Marriage Next?”
Newsweek couldn’t decide whether to feature a gay or a lesbian couple on the cover, so they split the run. My copy showed two attractive women.
This year we’ve had to decide about what to cover, and sometimes, when to run for cover. Our freedom presents us with dilemmas we didn’t expect, as well as choices we value. On this Fourth of July, I plan to pay homage to
the men and women who have given their time–and their lives–to earn my
freedoms.
How about you?