Celebrating the Fourth of July

I like this picture. It speaks to me of pride and patriotism, which come on many levels. We don't all see things the same way, but I believe we all love this country. And we love and respect the principles on which it was founded, even though we don't always interpret them the same way. 


Many of our family members, from our ancestors to the present generation, have given their lives, limbs, and health to  keep this country free. Many here at home have made tremendous sacrifices, especially our military families. Let us honor them and remember those principles they fought for.

Emma Lazarus's poem "The Colossus," the one on a tablet inside the Statue of Liberty, has stayed with me since elementary school. I especially revere those warm, magnificent words: "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me . . ."


Do we still mean that? I'm not always sure. It's something to think about. 


Here's the entire poem:

"The Colossus"

by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Are there any words special to you, words that come to mind on our 236th birthday since 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed?