Freedom Isn't Free

Here in Augusta, the Army base Nick is on had fireworks on the 3rd instead of the 4th. We headed over to the rides for a bit and had some funnel cake, which Nick says resembled brains. We all however, thought it was delicious! Afterwards, we went to Mellow Mushroom and had some pizza.  As we were driving there we passed by some old homes, each with their own character and story, and a Korean War memorial.  I asked Nick to stop on the way back to check it out.

As we approached the memorial the first words we could see were "Freedom isn't free."  We read a bit about the war and as we circled the memorial we came upon some names. Haylie asked if I would read the names aloud.  Once I started, I felt it wouldn't be right if I didn't say them all.  It was a heart-wrenching reminder that someone, somewhere, at sometime, gave up their life for what they believed in.  

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE.  

It's too easy today to say you stand up for what you believe in because you can post it on facebook, tweet about it, or comment on something someone wrote about. 

Men and women still die fighting for what they believe in. Independence Day isn't just a reminder that a couple hundred years ago some men signed a document giving us the freedom to be the United States of America. Independence Day is a living memory of husbands who didn't come home, wives who had to tell their children they would never again be tossed up in the air by a playful papa, and the courage to stand up for what you believe in. 

Wouldn't it be amazing if people stopped worrying about what is wrong in the world and started celebrating what's right?  I'm still proud of this country. After all, it's a place where I can freely worship my God, homeschool my children, have electricity whenever I need it, have fresh filtered running water, and have a blog post about it all. 

I'm ever so thankful for the men and women who serve our country and I'm ever so proud to be an American.