God Bless America

The Fourth of July took on extra special meaning for me this year. I always knew that living in the US was a privilege but I didn't realize what a true privilege it is. I wonder sometimes what people that live in our country think is the reason that our country is so blessed. I wonder if they think that we, as Americans, are smarter and therefore, more deserving than other humans in other parts of the world? I wonder if they think that we work harder than others do and that makes us more deserving than others? I wonder if they think it is our innovation, our resources, our capitalistic nature, or our everyone has an opportunity reputation that makes us such a privileged nation?? I, for one, believe that we enjoy our status because of the way our founding fathers built this nation on Christian values and Christian beliefs. I believe that God has blessed this country because of the way that generations before us have trusted in Him. The generations before obviously weren't perfect but they were looking to the perfect Father. Also, there has been an enormous amount of sacrifice given for our country. As a young man and a father, I struggle to think about what it would take for a man to go to another country and fight to keep those at home free. I think it would take a sense of something greater than self. I wonder how many in our country today would still have that sense of something greater than self when needed. I am still proud to be an American, even if America isn't perfect. I will take it over any other country that is out there today. But I do hope that America will remember soon enough why it is such a wonderful country. Because for those that have been given much, much is expected.

Take for example, chocolate doughnuts. What a privilege to be able to eat chocolate doughnuts on occasion. Not that they don't have chocolate doughnuts in other countries but to sit at your kitchen table and to be allowed to enjoy a chocolate doughnut in your own special way is a true freedom.

Caleb and I went to a birthday party tonight and we were late getting home. Stacey and Katie had already put Coy to bed when we got here. Stacey told me that Coy prayed for all of us by name tonight at bedtime. He loves to pray (probably because at the end of most of our prayers is food). He does like to pray at bedtime too. Of course, we usually can't make out what he is saying but apparently Stacey and Katie both were able to recognize our names in his prayer. We pray for our children by name in front of them every night and I guess that he has heard us doing that and is just repeating what he has heard.

Coy didn't care too much for the fireworks that come with the 4th. We had some small ones at our house on Tuesday and he seemed to like those OK but then we went to some friends' house that were letting of fireworks and after about the second big one with a loud bang, he was saying/signing "all done" and was crying and was ready to go home. Some of it may have been that he was tired too but he definitely didn't want any part of those fireworks. I remember our other children being like that at that age as well.