Today the United States celebrates its 244th birthday. A day normally celebrated by parades, speeches, picnics, family gatherings and fireworks. It is day when many Americans take a day to slow down and celebrate with family and friends.
The American flag flies from porch steps, buildings, displayed at parades and gravesite of those that paid the ultimate price for the rest of us to celebrate our freedoms. It is a day to give thanks for the right to live in such a great country.
“The first description of how Independence Day would be celebrated was in a letter from John Adams to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776. He described “pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations” throughout the United States. However, the “Independence Day” was not used until 1791.*”
Independence Day 2020 will have a much different look than that described by Adams. Due to the pandemic known as COVID-19 cities have cancelled parades and fireworks celebrations. Some had enacted gathering limits and implemented requirements to wear facial masks and maintain social distancing. Families and friends have cancelled or limited annual events or scaled them back to a manageable size.
While our Constitution guarantees our freedoms we are called upon to fight yet another war to win and maintain those rights. The sacrifices we are asked to make this Independence Day are minimal compared to those sacrifices others have made so we can fight this new battle.
We can win this battle only if we work together. This isn’t a day of democrats vs republicans, liberals vs conservatives. This is the day we must unite as one and put on the “damn” mask and put down the fight. The argument shouldn’t be which group is right and which is wrong as beating COVID-19 will take us all.
I hope our leaders will lead and provide an example for us to follow. This isn’t the country of the left or the right it is the United States of America.
Today, let’s lend a hand as we wish OUR country “Happy Birthday!”
July 4, 2020
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