July the 4th

Independence.

It is the word that represents the hopes and dreams of every man, woman and child who seek to be of themselves, by themselves and for themselves an individual who is self determining and able to steer the course of their personal ship of state.

For a group of people to share the same vision for not only themselves but for an expanse of land that was growing into a quilt of opportunity from the fabric of hope is not only a wonder, it is a true miracle.

Struggling for days on end to find a compromise that would recognize the rights and privileges of individuals and as states, our founding fathers labored over the documents that would bring from the cradle of ambition and desire the infant cry of freedom and independence to what would become a nation.

Now, we are celebrating the 231st anniversary of the documents that speak sacred words about the rights of man ordained by God Almighty. I wonder how many of us have read the words of the Preamble and the Constitution and drunk deeply of their meaning.

When was the last time we read the Declaration of Independence, those mighty words and phrases that led our nation from the arms of our mother country toward those first toddling steps of freedom?

It is a heady elixir filled with the sweet wine of freedom and responsibility. The full bodied and rich reminder that we are only a nation because of the blessing of God is prominent and encouraging.

Within the words is a reminder that we are not just individuals, but a people, who are dedicated to the principles of freedom and liberty for ourselves and our posterity. We have been given a holy and sacred charge to keep the flame of freedom alight and vibrant for those who will surely follow us.

No less for our posterity do we keep this charge than for those who will see the light of liberty as a beacon of hope and seek by all means possible to flee from the tyranny and oppression that keeps them slaves to corruption within the lands of their nativity.

Though they come to our shores without a lot, they bring with them an ember of hope, a spark of desire and a willingness to work long and hard to achieve the dream that has unfolded before their eyes for centuries under the banners of our nation's colors.

While immigration is a hot button issue, we must remember that most of us are not native to this land. What few of us are Native American somewhere back in the murky genealogy of our past must remember even they came from another land before this was America.

Can we deny the opportunity to see clearly the meaning that our founding fathers wrote into our Declaration of Independence and later into the Constitution? Do we, who have been so blessed to share in the nourishing feast of freedom have the right to deny another the rich banquet that has been set before us?

I know that legalities and niceties must be satisfied. Were it not so, Lady Justice and her scales of equality would forever remain out of balance. But do we not owe something to Lady Liberty, who on her very book is enscribed the merciful message: "Give me your tired, your poor, your weary, your huddled masses yearning to be free..."?

We are all part and parcel to this nation of immigration. Without the mercy of a fledgling nation extending her arms, her sons and her blood to those ancestors who came - led only by the light of hope - to this new nation, we would have remained in the place of our own national nativity.

Someone has to be willing to open their heart, extend their hand and help those who have come, by whatever means, to these shores to find the right path and fulfill the demands of Justice that Mercy can shed the brilliant light of opportunity across the land for everyone who seeks to be free.

God Bless America and may it always be possible that He CAN continue to bless us in our choices - as a nation, as a people and most particularly, as individual children in his sight.

HAPPY 4th of July!