Every year my family goes to the fireworks on July 3rd that are in Beech Grove. Basically there is just a giant park and they play country music and sell food and cotton candy and then set off about a 30 minute firework show. I love going to those fireworks because I always end up running into old friends that I haven't seen in a long time. And the actual fireworks are the best! My favorite part is, of course, the grand finale. It gives you that feeling deep inside that you just can't get anywhere else.
But it's only been about 3 years that I've actually been able to enjoy fireworks. Ever since I half drowned at 3 years old, I hadn't been able to do anything...if it came to motorcycles, water, airplanees, sometimes car rides, and especially fireworks. I'm not sure why I couldn't stand them...they just scared me! I wasn't until age 12 when I realized I was not going to die from them. But I can remember every year that my parents tried to take me when I was little, and I remember (very clearly) screaming for bloody murder right when I heard the booms. I remember getting all tense in my legs and then not being able to move them or walk when I got home. Those years were some hard ones for me in my earliest years (yes, I know i'm still in my "early" years, but not earliest) and just this year as well as these last couple of years I am finally starting to come out of my silly fears. Just the other day, my family went on a canoeing trip, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to do it, but to my surprise, I canoed with almost not problems. Now my next step is to go on a roller coaster at the county fair...I'm gonna make myself do it, (but I'll most likely bring along a plastic bag as well as a pillow to serve as a screaming foundation to throw my face into when it gets to the scary parts).
But it's also important that we not only look at this holiday as a fun thing for the family to do, but that we look at why we are celebrating. Here is an elaborated story of why we celebrate.
Great Britain kept trying to make the colonists follow more rules and pay higher taxes. People started getting mad and began making plans to be able to make their own rules. They no longer wanted Great Britain to be able to tell them what to do, so they decided to tell Great Britain that they were becoming an independent country. The Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and they appointed a committee (a group of people working together to do a specific job) to write a formal document that would tell Great Britain that the Americans had decided to govern themselves. The committee asked Thomas Jefferson to write a draft (first try) of the document, so he worked for days, in absolute secret, until he had written a document that he thought said everything important that the committee had discussed. On June 28, 1776, the committee met to read Jefferson's "fair" copy (he put his best ideas together and wrote them neatly.) They revised (made some changes) the document and declared their independence on July 2, 1776. They officially adopted it (made it theirs) on July 4, 1776. That is why we call it "Independence Day." Congress ordered that all members must sign the Declaration of Independence and they all began signing the "official" copy on August 2, 1776. In January of the next year, Congress sent signed copies to all of the states.
The Declaration of Independence is more than just a piece of paper. It is a symbol of our country's independence and commitment to certain ideas. A symbol is something that stands for something else. Most people can look at a certain little "swoosh" and know that it stands for "Nike." Well, the signers of the Declaration of Independence wanted the citizens of the United States to have a document that spelled out what was important to our leaders and citizens. They wanted us to be able to look at the Declaration of Independence and immediately think of the goals we should always be working for, and about the people who have fought so hard to make these ideas possible. The people who signed the Declaration risked being hanged for treason by the leaders in Great Britain. They had to be very brave to sign something that would be considered a crime! So every time we look at the Declaration of Independence, we should think about all of the effort and ideas that went into the document, and about the courage it took for these people to stand up for what they knew was right -- independence!
This year I hope you'll take the time to think about what Independence Day is really all about..and be thankful for what other people have done for you.
It's important to celebrate our freedom in this world, but it's even more important to thank God for the freedom that we have in Him. We are given that freedom when we choose to follow Him.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)
Everyone have a wonderful 4th of July! Remember to stay positive and enjoy spending time with the people you love! But also remember to thank God for your freedom.
Love,
Hannah
