Red, white, and blue! Happy 4th, America!

A Nation’s Strength

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1904)

What makes a nation’s pillars high And its foundations strong? What makes it mighty to defy The foes that round it throng? It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand Go down in battle shock; Its shafts are laid on sinking sand, Not on abiding rock. Is it the sword? Ask the red dust Of empires passed away; The blood has turned their stones to rust, Their glory to decay. And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown Has seemed to nations sweet; But God has struck its luster down In ashes at his feet. Not gold but only men can make A people great and strong; Men who for truth and honor’s sake Stand fast and suffer long. Brave men who work while others sleep, Who dare while others fly... They build a nation’s pillars deep And lift them to the sky.

Sometimes I think we are the most boring family when it comes to celebrating holidays, except for Christmas of course.  It is so crowded anywhere you go, that we even forgo the beautiful display of fireworks, and have convinced our kids that the best place to see them is from your own window.  Fortunately, this year we had a legitimate excuse with mom being pregnant and out of breath all the time. 

That said, I feel, however low-key our 4th was, we still had a good time as a family.  I had prepared the children throughout the week to think of the greatness of this great country. The history books that they were supposed to read for the week were all about the wars that America had fought to bring freedom and justice to the world.  The kids drew and colored pictures of soldiers, air force men, and shipmen that made sure, most of them with their own lives, the goals of America were achieved.  And we of course discussed the God inspiring declaration of Independence that started it all.

We commenced our 4th by attending the annual 4th of July breakfast that both North Gate wards put up.  The kids played with each other, we adults talked, and then we all listened to the Primary kids sing patriotic songs. The program continued with a speaker evoking all of the benevolent ways that this country has contributed to the world, after which he introduced all of the soldiers, members of our wards, that have fought and continue to participate in defending those freedoms we so dearly cherish.  It was a good presentation.

Christina and I

Donna Steinbacker, one of my favorite ladies in the ward. She is a widow, but full of life and love.  I so enjoy visiting with her.

After the breakfast, I rested for a couple of hours, while Elijah made some dessert, and the kids played outside.  Around 4, we all headed to the swimming pool, where Christina and her family had prepared a delicious meal, forbidding me categorically to cook anything.  That was the best gift ever.  Good friends are rare to be found, but when you do, your life is so much better. We all had a fabulous time eating, swimming, talking, and just enjoying each other's company. 

I hope you all had a grand time celebrating our country's independence with family and friends.

I Hear America Singing

Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass, first published in the 1867 edition)

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear; Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong; The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work; The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat—the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck; The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench—the hatter singing as he stands; The wood-cutter’s song—the ploughboy’s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown; The delicious singing of the mother—or of the young wife at work—or of the girl sewing or washing— Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else; The day what belongs to the day— At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.

Albanian by birth, American by choice

Happy 4th of July! We had a wonderful celebration that lasted the whole week-end. On Saturday, we had a great time swimming, eating, talking and spraying each other with water guns. Yes, we adults played too, and all of us had a grand time. The weather was just right, the food was cooked in perfection, the company were many of my friends, and the children were busy swimming in the pool, spraying each other or going down the water slide. Gillian had two of her best friends there, and she did a great job pleasing each of them individually. Jefferson made friends with every one and especially with the adults, whether it was through games or conversations, and James was inseparable from his friend, Zoe and his floaty. Each of them tried to swim and show me what they remembered from their swimming lessons. Gillian is doing so much better with her underwater swimming. Jefferson showed no fear as he swam all by himself in the deep end, but his forte was his diving. This boy loves to jump into the water! James kept his floaty with him most of the time, but I was pleased that he wasn't afraid to swim with it in the deep end by himself. He had such a good time playing with Zoe, that often times if we were looking for James, we would look at Zoe, and if we were looking for Zoe, we would try to find James. They were together the whole time. Charlton, beside being admired by every human being present there, enjoyed chewing on celery and carrots, and watching the kids play in the pool. I'm so glad the children are making friendships and enjoying each other.
On Sunday, beside having a very special testimony meeting, we were invited to celebrate the 4th of July with some other friends of ours, who were celebrating their own birthday as well. The highlight of the party, especially for the kids, was the 30 minute show of firecrackers and fireworks. Charlton didn't like the noise, so we had to take him inside the house, but my other children wanted to help fire them up.

We continued to celebrate this morning with our ward holding its annual 4th of July breakfast. We had a good breakfast of pancakes, sausages, and eggs, after which we listened to the raising of the flag and pledged allegiance to this great country and its flag. The primary children sang 'You're a grand old flag" and then had about fourteen veterans tell us a little bit about themselves and where they served. Among others, there was one veteran that had been a pilot during WWII. We thought that was pretty neat. We all enjoyed listening to them and remembering that the greatness of this country came from brave people such as them.

We ended our day today by taking the children to the movies. Actually, Elijah took the children to the movies to watch "Toy Story 3." I wanted to catch up with my cleaning, since we hadn't done anything to the house for days, being busy and all, and I also thought the children would be excited to be with their dad for a change. Charlton kept me company, sometimes helping me with my chores and sometimes providing me with background music. Now that the house is clean, we can play some more.

I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July. After Christmas, this is my favorite holiday of the year. And it's not because of the great weather or the delicious food, but it is because I get an opportunity to reflect and celebrate the greatness of this country. I'll always be an Albanian, because I grew up there and my heritage is from there. But in my heart, I'll always be an American as well. I love this country not only because of its wealth or the brilliant minds that come here or because of its technological developments. You can find plenty of that in other countries. I love this country for its people and for what it stands to the rest of the world, a beacon of hope, a land of freedom, and a place where you can achieve your dreams if you work hard. I also love this land and its people for their compassion and love for others. It is always America and the American soldiers and humanitarians that are found first in countries that need help. It is their generosity and unselfishness that gives the rest of the world hope. Don't let the liberal media tell you that this country is hated by the world. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY! The people out there in the world, the real people, the hard working people, and not the politicians or dictators, recognize and appreciate deep in their heart the purity of the American people. I'm grateful for our forefathers who were inspired to draw up a constitution that would chart the future of this great country, and of the world. Having studied the American history attentively, I have no doubt that the hand of the Lord was with these distinguished men. The way many of specific historical events were unfolded, leaves no doubt in my mind also that there was a purpose for this country to be a land of freedom, freedom to worship our God being one of them, and a right to decide who we want to become, a mentality and a right rarely found in many other countries to this day. It is in this country that the fullness of the gospel was brought forth, and it is in this country that the New Zion will gather when our Savior comes again. This love for my new country doesn't make me arrogant. I don't think we are better than the rest of the world, but I feel and know that because of America's constitution, its history and the hand of the Lord in many events of this country, it has made the people of this country peculiar, with a touch of generosity and purity rarely found in other countries, and that is a blessing to behold. And as long as we keep our motto "In God We Trust" in our hearts and actions, this country will always be "the land of the free and the home of the brave." HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO YOU ALL!