4th of July...a little late!

Now that my tirade over the neighbors' fireworks antics is over (although, they are still shooting them off and today is the 7th), I thought I'd write a little bit about what America means to me.

Over on the Pioneer Woman's website, her latest photography assignment was "America." As usual I did not have time to really go out and work on getting some dream pictures to contribute, and there was a variety of ways I'd like to depict America. Besides the obvious flags, and fireworks, the first thing I thought of was a church. With a big cross on top. It was the one thing I wanted to make a point of going to photograph for the assignment. Here's what I got. I was going for a Cross with a great sunset in the back. Unfortunately I got impatient waiting for the sunset and I couldn't find a big cross facing the exact direction I needed it to!

Why does this depict America to me? When it seems the government and many people in this "tossed salad" country of ours wants to erase God from the picture, you cannot take away that our forefathers founded this nation as ONE..."under God." Because we are Americans, our churches can stand on a corner, their God clearly evidenced by a soaring Cross above. We don't have to draw fish in the sand to show the world we are Christians. We can say God Bless America with joy, confidence, and the utmost faith. THAT is more American than apple pie, don't you think?

I have a soft spot in my heart for our military men and women.... they give much so we can have much. Some people might sit out there and think the military people get too much of a hand out, etc. They don't pay this, they get paid for that, etc. But let me tell you, being the sister and cousin of some military boys, I have long since decided that those long months they are away from their family training, or deployed to a war zone, make them very worthy of the "perks" they get. The time my brother was at BOOT CAMP was worrisome for us, knowing the grueling training they go through. He's a marine, and he spent time deployed to Iraq. THAT was so hard. Then my cousin Chris is in the Army is in the Green Berets (i think. some sort of special ops). He's spent a lot of time deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and has been in the midst of some seriously not great stuff. Here's a pic of my brother at drill one weekend, and a few of my cousin while he was deployed. (I don't have ryan's deployment pictures on thsi computer). I'm so thankful for the military and their families. The military of the past helped shape an America that allows me to be proud to be an American, and the military today helps to continue to protect us while we are enjoying those freedoms.

Fourth of July means teaching the kids what it means to be an American. It means celebrating the Flag together with our family, over burgers, corn on the cob, and fireworks.

While our neighborhood was busy filling the sky with fireworks, smoke, and noise, at one time I thought "man it looks like a warzone here!"... which I guess is appropriate considering what we are celebrating right? Perhaps it looks a bit like it did many Independence days ago!?

Be proud to be an American. Appreciate your military. SHOW them you appreciate them. Pray for them, whether you know one personally or not. And when you drive by a church on with the glorious Cross displayed prominently, take a minute to thank God for the right to see such a sight. Shoot, take a moment to be thankful when you eat a cheeseburger, or an apple pie. Everytime you do something so "american"...be thankful.