https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZo2hhvvlpw

Guys, America is amazing. There is part of a verse in 'America the Beautiful' that rarely gets sung, but it is one of my favorites:

"O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!"

The founding of this country required unimaginable sacrifice. I have yet to see a history book, let alone a movie, depict what it must have really been like in the founding of this country. We romanticize it and dumb it down a great deal. When I think of this country's birth, it's easy for my mind to simply think of fireworks, and to think of a bunch of men in white wigs sitting in a room autographing a big piece of paper, congratulating one another on starting up a new country.

Have I ever sat around on the 4th of July thinking about the actual sacrifices that had to be made in order to ensure our beautiful freedom, though?

I imagine many of our founding fathers probably never saw some of their family members ever again. I mean, just think: some people didn't mind King George. As hard as that is for our American brains to comprehend (especially after reading the Declaration of Independence and having a biased opinion about the man), some people were truly OK with the way things were under his rule. Some people probably went so far as to LIKE him. Though for many different reasons, people even volunteered to fight for him and give their lives for him and for their country.

Now imagine that America has just been established. Imagine you are John Adams. Or Samuel Chase. Or Abraham Clark or William Hooper or any of the other signers of the Declaration. Stand in their shoes for a moment. Perhaps you have family back in England. Suppose they stand with King George. Can you comprehend what sort of familial conflict and turmoil these forefathers were experiencing? Perhaps their family members and friends were outraged. Maybe even to the point of disowning these brilliant men. I cannot even IMAGINE how I would feel if suddenly my brother or perhaps my best friend suddenly turned their backs on me and I never heard from nor saw them ever again. I would be devastated. No matter how much I believed in what I was doing, the pain of losing them would continue to be great.

I also think of the many soldiers who lost their lives for the establishment of this country. Imagine you are a soldier during colonial times for a moment. You're told that these colonies are wanting to become their own country. You have zero certainty that this is ever going to work out. On top of that, the King of England is sending droves of his soldiers over to fight for him, should the occasion arise. You are surrounded by a hurting and conflicted people who love England and yet cannot stand the oppression of its ruler. If you could glimpse into the near future, you would see the misery of the winter months as a soldier with not enough warm clothing, a great deal of sickness, and barely enough food to survive. Despite all of this, you willingly join to fight for something that has no guarantee of truly becoming anything at all. You willingly suffer through the winters. You unashamedly put your very life on the line. Why? Because you believe in what these men in Philadelphia voice. Because this is your home. Because you are willing to perish for what you love.

I love my America. I am proud of my America.

Sure, this country has not been perfect. Throughout its existence, it has made some pretty horrendous decisions that are absolutely despicable.

But you know what?

We have learned, and developed, and grown into something that I am sure none of our forefathers could have ever dreamed of.

People have poured out their blood, sweat, and tears into this country.

And people continue to do so.

Many live, fight, and die for this country every single day.

Right now, I know that a lot of people are disappointed, upset, etc.

Some folks don't agree with other folks.

Policies that are going to be instated genuinely bother lots of people.

But you guys...

America is still SO AMAZING!

We have the freedom to talk about anything.

We have the freedom to agree and to disagree.

We have the freedom to worship without being fearful for our lives.

We have the freedom to pursue any career, to work any job, to become whatever we want.

None of this mean that we are going to be successful in 'x' career or get 'y' job or become 'z', or that we will all believe the same religion, or that we will all come to an agreement on a specific issue, or that people will listen to us.

But we still have FREEDOM.

And we still have the ability to live with RESPECT and KINDNESS.

This is my country. This is my home. This is my America.

It's pretty amazing.

And I love it.