Independence Day

Well, it’s Independence Day. Once a year we especially remember the beginnings of this nation and what it has meant for not only us, but for the human race. This year, comments on Facebook run the gamut from ours being the greatest nation on earth to ours being the last hurrah before the unwashed hordes overrun us and we drown in debt, immorality, and corruption.
I admit that I readily do not know which way we are headed. Nor does anyone else, for that matter. We are all entitled to our opinions; however, rather than being orators of doom or paradise, maybe it would behoove us to do the things in our corner of the world to make the world a better place for our having been here.
Even that sounds like something from a fairy tale fantasy at times. But the reality is that we all have ways that we can influence not only our environment, but also those we contact in our everyday lives. Whether family, friends, retail sales people, classmates, the taxi driver, or someone else, virtually all of us have some kind of contact with the environment and with other people on a daily basis. It’s what we do with those routine contacts and interaction that collectively make the difference.
Life is seldom glamorous and glitzy. Routine, boring, and ordinary are all good words to describe what most of us experience on a daily basis. Many times, life seems to be patently unfair. Yet it is the possibility of the future, including the hope of a life that is eternal, that makes it all worthwhile.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence, “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”, made the decision to “mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” They saw the possibility of the future. Many of them also knew the hope of a life that is eternal. That, friend, is what made it worthwhile for them, and even today calls us to service and sacrifice.