4th of July

"Freedom comes with a price."

and now for the rest of the story.....

Independence Day in the USA!

And what a quintessential American day it is! It’s a time for picnics, recreational games, cookouts, and fireworks - even if we have to socially distance as we celebrate! This day also gives us the opportunity to reflect on the American Revolution and thank our Founding Fathers for their courage, tenacity and their forward-thinking that gave us a foundation for what we have today in this great country of ours!

I have a special connection to the American Revolution. My three-times great-grandfather, Lt. James Campen was in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment and served in the conflict. Many others, like him, risked losing their homes, farms, families and their own lives fighting for the freedom we enjoy today! Indeed, many experienced losses of all kinds. Fortunately for my three-times great-grandfather, he lived through the ordeal. And, I am grateful for the commitment to freedom that he and his fellow soldiers displayed during those difficult times.

What would my life be like today if he and his compatriots had made a different choice?

How different would our lives be if he and countless other Colonials would have left well enough alone and not fought for freedom?

Because of our forefathers, we as Americans live in a country full of opportunity for those who aspire to become whatever; that we live in a country where we have the right to express our differences of opinions in a peaceful manner, and, that we have the right to practice and believe in many different religions. And that, indeed, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

My grateful thanks to my three-times great grandfather, James Campen, and ALL who risked their lives, their sacred honor, and fortunes so that I and my descendants may enjoy living in a land of the free and home of the brave!

Happy 4th of July!

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For a complete transcript of the Declaration of Independence visit: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/