Freedom Rocks
July 4, 2010
I celebrate Independence Day with gusto. 
Like many Americans I wave the flag, grill red meat with friends and family and enjoy a hearty hour of oohs and ahhs at the fireworks display. As this year’s Independence Day fell on a Sunday, I had the chance to practice freedom of religion.
I love America, not only because I was born here, but because I believe in its principles and values. My America is a beacon on a hill, a nation filled with people who care for each other and those around the world.
I recall a trip abroad when an Austrian commented that an American could be spotted among a crowd walking down the street. It wasn’t the camera around their neck, but the Americans stood out as the ones with a lilt in their step. Even subconsciously, Americans walk the walk of freedom…and we bring it with us everywhere we go. We can’t help ourselves, it’s a thing of beauty.
As Americans we’re guided by shared values of one nation under God. We value hard work, honesty, respect for other’s rights and property, and we value generosity. We honor entrepreneurialism and ingenuity industriousness, resourcefulness and selfless sacrifice.
America is a gift to the world. Its government protects a person’s right to pursue personal happiness. Its laws are in place to encourage reaching for opportunities, believing in possibilities and using whatever resource is at our disposal to better our lives, our families and our country. Our laws and constitution even protects us from our own government, when it intrudes into our lives.
Our nation’s independence, our prosperity and our personal freedoms haven’t come easy. They aren’t guaranteed, nor are they a birthright. Wars are fought, people die. Being an American means commitment to shared values, it means hard work and sacrifice. It means keeping watch over our freedoms, being ever vigilant so they don’t erode away. Freedom isn’t free.
I am an American, not only by birth, but in heart and in soul. And for that reason on this Independence Day, I am celebrating with gratitude, pride, loyalty. God Bless America with continued prosperity!
