Fourth of July

Happy Independence Day from our red-white-and-blue family to yours. 

It's hard to express my feelings of gratitude, pride, and determination that always come in waves on this holiday. Thinking about the incredible men and women who fought for freedom during the revolutionary war fills me with gratitude and pride. They were so courageous and did amazing and difficult things because they knew that their actions were more important than themselves - they were fighting for their children, and their children's children, for all those who would call America their home. It fills me with a determination to be brave, to do things that are hard, and to stand for what is right so that the generations that follow me will also be blessed. To teach my children what it means to choose liberty and fight for freedom. 

We had a "stay-home day" and just hung out around the house. David had the day off (he's had the whole past week off and it's been wonderful) and he spent a good amount of it holding Caleb so he could sleep because he was having a pretty rough day. Later in the evening we had David's parents, plus Amy and Kevin over for dinner and games, then the Rencher Family joined us while we watched fireworks. I turned on the Star Spangled Banner and was touched to think of those men and women who watched the U.S. flag flying over Fort McHenry while the British forces opened fire to try to knock it down. To think of those who gave their lives in an effort to keep the flag from being destroyed. To those who saw the flag still standing at dawn, though in tatters, as a mark that the United States of America would not be beaten - that they would stand, brave and true. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking, inspiring story of the people who knew this the freedom of this land was of vast importance. This land where the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored. Surely, the Lord was with those people - and all the people since who have followed him and stood for truth, righteousness, and freedom in this country. 

Ether 2:
9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.
12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.