- The Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776
- 1870, almost a hundred years after the Declaration was written, Congress first declared July 4 to be a national holiday
- On our Flag, the red stands for the courage and strenght of the men and women who have fought and died for America
- The white stands for purity and the blue stands for truth
- The Great Seal is on both sides of the dollar bill and represents the power of the government
- The eagle is a symbol, reflective of its strength and courage
Everyone celebrates Independence Day differently - if you go on the internet for any amount of time a couple weeks before or go to almost any store you will see ideas and suggestions coming out your ears! In case you need a few more for last minute, here's my Pinterest board:
For me, Independence Day reminds me of all the men and women that sacrifice daily for our freedoms, including my husband. He was in the reserves for the last 6 years and I understand how difficult being a military family is. It has made me appreciate all of these amazing people and their families even more.
Bear with me for a minute and imagine this: the one that you love, the one that completes you, defends you, comforts you, provides for you, takes the kids for a while so you can have a break, has to leave. They will be gone for the next 4 weeks for training. You don't get to talk to them, call them, text them, hug them, see them or anything for these next four weeks. That's just the beginning, at least. That's only Basic Training.
After that, they can up and leave at any time with minimal preparation time. If they're in the Reserves, it'll be two weeks every year that they will be gone AND the deployment that is inevitable. On top of that, your significant other develops a whole other family that you just won't be able to grasp.
The military life is hard and lonely and I don't even know the full extent of what the families sacrifice outside of the reserves.
I am so thankful for the men and women that give so much. Do me a favor and give a hand to someone that has a husband or wife out of country because they are serving. It means so very much, even the smallest thing like a meal or a card or a day of babysitting.
How do you celebrate Independence Day? What does it mean to you?
No comments