Happy Holidays

Some holidays are holy days (Christmas and Easter for instance) while other are not, necessarily. July 4th is also Independence Day. It is not a holy day but certainly is not an unholy day. But it can be. It all depends on how it is celebrated.

First, some facts...

• 2.5 million in July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation. 309.6 million, the nation's estimated population on this July Fourth.
• In 2009, $3.0 million was the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($2.5 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.
• $209 million, the value of fireworks imported from China in 2009, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($217 million).
• $93.2 billion, the dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the British, our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today.

Songs that we sing on the Fourth include "God Bless America," "My Country 'Tis of Thee" (America), and "Stars and Stripes Forever" (Let martial note in triumph float And liberty extend its might hand. A flag appears 'mid thunderous cheers, The banner of the Western land...are a blend of the sacred and secular).

On t0he Fourth we eat a lot, make a lot of colorful noise, visit family and friends, watch parades, place flags in strategic locations, and we might even attend a rally and maybe a church gathering or watch a ball game. For some, the best part is a day off work.

Wikipedia puts it in part like this: July 4, 1776, Independence Day declaring independence from [Great Britain] is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

A commentator recently said a country can be great but if it isn't good it won't last (or to that effect). As we celebrate our 235th anniversary, it has been a great nation, and we might add, a good country. As we remember our forefathers, their passion and faith, their genius in creating an enduring Constitution, let us take pride as we sing God Bless America and Our father's God, to thee, Author of liberty, To thee we sing so that there will be a 335th celebration as well.