Good Saturday to you on this 4th of July 2020. It is hot and humid in our part of the world with no end in sight for the next week. We are enjoying nature mostly from the comfort of our air-conditioned home. In the 23 major moves we have made together we lived without air most of the time........even our first house in the Philippines was cooled by fans. And yes it was miserable. Air-conditioning is a blessing we greatly appreciate. This kind of weather always reminds me of our two years in the P.I. when Joel was in the Air Force. He spent 8 years serving and we liked military life for the most part. Living in a third world country opened our eyes to the privilege we have to live in America. I was proud of our military, of our country. Those 8 years shaped our lives greatly, and especially the two we spent in The Philippines.
Being honest here, I have had trouble lately being proud of America. I have been discouraged, angry, sad, disappointed, fearful, and completely stunned by what has been going on. Everything has become political. E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. Covid-19 has changed our world drastically. The death of George Floyd was horrific, and for me the hatred and bias against ALL police because of it is difficult to comprehend. The media's bias and manipulation of events sickens me....And lets just stay on the hatred being released here in America .......I am at times embarrassed at times by what is spoken by some calling themselves Christians. It feels like we are a country divided in nearly every aspect of what makes us America. It grieves me.
I say all that because today a friend sent a prayer group I am part of a video and I found myself listening to Lee Greenwood's song, "God Bless The USA and I knew it was what I needed to hear. We still live in one of the best country's in the world, even with our obvious glaring flaws (and that includes myself). I believe we can remain one of the best if we remember what unites us, not divides us. If we believe there is unity in diversity. If we seek solutions and not revenge. If we walk by faith. If we turn to God for guidance. That is our hope and our prayer. Lately I have been standing on the promise of God in Isaiah to give His people beauty for ashes. It feels like America is burning...........so beauty for ashes is a good promise to stand on.
We will celebrate the 4th alone, which is not new for us, but seems even more real this year. Covid 19 cases are rapidly going up in our area and travel for us is out of the question. So we will get our our super little electric grill and throw on some thick Iowa chops, corn on the cob and sweet potato fries. We will enjoy a little ice cream and cookies and of course the watermelon we picked up at a local garden/farmer's market. Joel will ride bike, I will walk, we will throw in a game or two of cribbage or scrabble, and we will watch fireworks on the TV (since for the first time in 15 years we cannot watch from our living room window~ the venue was changed!). We will hold tight to all the times Americans have rose to the occasion and shown what is best about our country. We will spend time giving thanks for living in the "land of the free and home of the brave" and we will do so with hope for a better future for all who live in this vast land.
I pray your 4th of July is one filled with all that makes you smile. What will you be doing? Have a good weekend! And God, please bless America!
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