Last night was not just any Monday; it was the Fourth of July. I turned on the television to watch the Boston Pops and the fireworks from Boston—a yearly ritual for me. For the better part of an hour I listened to the patriotic music, so meticulously synchronized with the fireworks that were spiraling up from the Charles River. For a while, at least, I felt some of the patriotic fervor I always feel on such occasions. Outside my window, you could hear the celebrations going on all around the area in the tiny hamlets that surround Crosslake. Then, in our community, the finale—the fireworks from Sand Island.
Long after the smoke had drifted away, and the silence of the night had enveloped me once more, I sat on the porch swing deep in thought, my eyes still wet. I thought to myself, what a testimony to the people of this country that, for one short evening, they celebrate their freedom as if nothing is amiss in this great nation. At suppertime I had watched the news. I heard about our dysfunctional state government and the looming debt crisis in Washington; I heard about Generals in Afghanistan that want more war, not less; I listened to parts of a presidential news conference where the tone was so rancorous the President spent the whole time trying to explain why we are in the mess we’re in and not moving forward.
I wanted to stand up and scream, “What a charade!” But then I thought—NO! We need this. We need to keep the spirit alive, in spite of what the politicians have done to our country. Because when that patriotic spirit is gone, it will be over. Our battle is two-fold, my friends; it’s the enemies inside, and outside, of our country. I fear that it is the enemy within we need to fear the most. Our enemies outside know this, and they would just as soon we destroy ourselves. It saves them a lot of trouble.
I have heard the battle cry at political rallies, “Take back our nation!” Yes, we are thinking it and saying it—but we’re not doing it. We’re sitting on our hands while our nation heads down this path to ruin. Nero fiddled while Rome burned, and at least they got some music out of it. We get lies, and empty promises, and a mess no one will ever be able to fix. There were state politicians walking the parade routes yesterday—smiling and shaking hands. I wish someone would have told them to go back to the capitol and get the job done and quit raining on our parade. We have no room here today for hypocrites.
When my time on this earth is over, the last hymn to be sung at my funeral must be God Bless America. I want every person in that church to join voices and sing about the country I loved so much. I want people to hear that this great country professes an affiliation with God. That our foundering fathers felt it was important that our faith was mentioned in the formation of our government. One nation, under God – a God who was the cornerstone of the ideals this country was formed under. Ideals of love, peace amongst your fellow man and liberty and justice for all. God Bless America.
No comments:
Post a Comment