07/04/09

Happy Independence Day!

Today is a day we celebrate our country becoming an independent nation. Have we really sat and thought about the price of that freedom? I have on several occasions, but let us all be honest... most days we don't think about how free we are because that is all we have ever known. God has blessed this country so richly that we really cannot comprehend what others have faced to provide this freedom for us... or those who have never tasted this freedom.

A friend of mind said this on her Facebook this morning and it was something I have thought about all day.

"I pray that instead of asking God to bless America (which He has over & over) that we will pray for America to bless God. Why should He continue to bless us when our government, including the president and individuals, do everything in their power to remove His name that they hate and His laws from our country? Pray that those on the path to destroy the freedoms we have will be stopped and that America will wake up."

Very well said.

This week's "Word of the week" for photographs was "AMERICAN." I thought it would be very fitting. I had several thoughts come to mind but what I kept going back to was lives of sacrifice for our freedom.

I visited a graveyard for this purpose. I wanted to be reminded of the loss of lives so that I may remain free. I would have loved to have gone to Arlington this week, but I knew that was not reality. I realize a graveyard is not the best place to have a quiet, thought-provoking moment for some, but I found it so peaceful there. I felt that way at Arlington some years back as well.

As I walked around and saw the beautiful flags standing at attention on the graves of those that fought for their country I saw that some had not died in battle, but had sacrificed time away from family and friends, and possibly physical aspects of their body, for my freedom. They had come home to live life to its fullest (hopefully) because of the sacrifice they had given to keep us free. I also think of the husbands/wives who sacrificed by staying behind to watch over their loved ones family while they were off fighting.

I then ran across a grave and it caused me to step back a minute. The man was 21 and he died in service. As I sat and looked at this grave more closely I began to realize this just wasn't another person, but someone we knew at my school. It was the grave of a former student who was killed in 2007 while on maneuvers.

I was moved with the realization of it all. I never knew him personally... he had been ahead of second grade when I started teaching. However, there was an immediate bond again for when we prayed for his family and fiancee over the loss of his life. He paid the ultimate sacrifice.

This is how I have portrayed "American" for my "word of the week" photograph. I could have done any number of things that portray America, but this sacrifice is the reason I can be free. I wanted to preserve the name of this young man and chose not to photograph that portion, therefore the photographs are not as "complete" as I would have normally captured.




Let us not forget that freedoms can be lost. We cannot sit idly by and let our government turn away from the values upon which this country was founded. The more we take God out of our country the more problems that will arise. We cannot let those sacrifices, like those I have pictured above, to be in vain.

May God continue to bless America, but may WE, as Americans, truly BLESS GOD.