Independence Day

When there are patriotic holidays, my thoughts turn toward the past and the blessing we enjoy in liberty and freedom.  My thoughts on the subject usually begin in the days leading up to the Fourth. I remember my Civil War ancestors, especially those who fought at Gettysburg. That week in 1863 was one of the most important in our history. In Virginia, Lee was driven back on to the defensive for the rest of the war. In the West, Grant took Vicksburg, and the Father of Waters flowed unvexed to the sea. The Confederacy would battle for almost two more years, but it now was a truncated, collapsing nation.
July Fourth is a wonderful time for me. I remember attending celebrations on various military bases, and how proud I was to be part of that - a sponsor, in a way, of freedom. I sometimes think that the meaning of the day is lost on many people today. So many Americans take freedom for granted.  They don't have an inkling how the rest of the world lives, what we have here. Materially and psychologically, we are blessed. If you grow up in Europe, your path is usually determined by your schooling, by decisions made before your sixteenth birthday. In America, the number of people who rise from middling or poor circumstances to the pinnacles of business, industry, or government is a tribute to our egalitarianism.
Our church sang "My Country Tis of Thee" at Sunday service. I can remember the first time I was in England, and retreat was observed on base. Naturally, they played The Star Spangled Banner and God Save The Queen. As the familiar tune of the British anthem sounded, my mind recited the words to My Country Tis of Thee.  But since then, I've learned that like most of our own patriotic songs, God Save The Queen has one verse that is commonly used and several lesser known verses. But the second verse is still applicable to us, I think. Perhaps we should use it, with one change:

O Lord, our God, arise,

Scatter our enemies,

And make them fall.

Confound their politics,

Frustrate their knavish tricks,

On Thee our hopes we fix,

God save us all.