Celebrating July 4th

There are a number of ways to celebrate July 4th.

Of course, for me, an important one is celebrating Gregory's birthday! He always used to say he was the reason we got a day off and fireworks. I always used to say, "Happy Birthday to Gregory and to our Nation!"

The piece below was shared with me via e-mail by my aunt. I have seen several other comments like this, not only for July 4th but recently also for Memorial Day (should be a day to remember our veterans who sacrificed their lives to protect us and not only for BBQs!)

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well-educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.  He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The

home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his  gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.  It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free! We thank these early patriots, as well as those patriots now fighting to KEEP our freedom!

It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more MEANING to it than beer, fireworks, HOT DOGS,  and picnics......

The two sides of the coin seem to be "Make America Great Again" and the other side which already belives"America is Great!" 

One reflection is "Trump" vs "NotTrump."

While the U.S.A. is a pretty good place to live, it is certainly not perfect and has a long way to go to become perfect! 

"Trump seems to be trying (and succeeding) in taking the U.S.A. one way (I believe) towards worse - you can add the descriptors) and "NotTrump" (trying to bring the U.S.A. back to middle moving towards (I believe) better -  you can add the descriptors here as well.)

So if you are "Patriotic," how you think depends on who you support and with whom you agree. There currently seem to be no answers, only confusion. If I fly the American Flag at my door what does that mean? If a Trump supporter flies the flag at his door, what does that mean? Time will tell.