I know many of you have already read or heard this experience before, but I felt it important to share again a remembrance that comes to me each year at this time . . .
July 4th, 2004: I am standing on the deck at mom and dad's house, pregnant with our first baby, watching the fireworks, celebrating the Land of the Free. It is dark and clear and beautiful. The beaches below are crowded with thousands of people, and we are happy to be away from the throng and in the comfort of our home. Mom's patriotic CD is blaring so loud it knocks Grandpa Rogers' antique clock off the wall. The fireworks explode above the lake, and my mind flashes to a black-and-white scene like in a movie: Greg, overseas, with guns and in battle gear, amidst explosions of a different kind. I see in slow motion as he and his comrades navigate streets lit with explosions and fire. I watch the fireworks, hands on my growing belly, overcome with emotion and gratitude for the lives spent for freedoms that are taken for granted by so many, for the service of my husband and my brothers, and for liberty and freedom to raise my family in a promised land.
God bless the USA!
5 comments:
Gosh Emery...why ya got to make me cry!!! That was awesome...Thank you. And to your entire family...thank you for serving our country! God bless America!
Yep, Emery, you got me a little teary-eyed too. That was really lovely and I'm so glad you recorded those emotions and feelings so that the rest of us could experience it through you. I needed to be reminded of the great sacrifice so many men and women make on behalf of our freedom. Sometimes we focus on the fireworks/BBQ/fun of the 4th of July, which is good, but it's also good for us to remember why we truly celebrate it. Thank you!
Awww Emery, I love it! I've never seen that one. There for a minute I thought that was baby number 4....
Emery... I LOVE YOU!!! Thanks for always being there for me. Thanks for being such a good example to me! I too am so grateful for this Country! GOD BLESS THE USA!!!
Kassie
What a beautiful way to describe that special moment! It is always an overwhelming experience to reflect on the service made on our behalf, for the welfare and freedoms of our country, made by your family and countless others. Thank you!
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