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One of the most popular and enjoyable celebrations across our country every year since 1776 has been the Fourth of July. We know that it commemorates our nation’s Declaration of Independence when our thirteen colonies were declared “united, free and independent states.” It was the birth of what we have treasured and cheered about ever since, but do we still feel that joy and pride in our hearts?

We’ll still put our red, white and blue decorations up and hopefully attend the beautiful fireworks in our towns across America, but do we still value that we stood alone and free to govern ourselves all those years ago – independent and prepared to stand on our own?

As a writer, I appreciate hearing from my audience through whatever means I can. Sometimes it’s by email, sometimes text and sometimes, like yesterday, through a phone call. It’s no mistake that I include my cell phone number in Gig Line. I want you to be able to call me if you want to. I want to hear from you. I want to know that you feel the American pride that I’m passionate about. I care about how you feel as a veteran of our Armed Forces, because you truly matter.

Yesterday I received a call from a veteran in a neighboring community and it touched my heart that he took the time to reach out to say hello and share some of his military history having served this great nation. I was not only proud of him, but my heart went out to him for the things he had gone through; the good, the bad and the ugly. He isn’t the first veteran that has called me. Each contact I’ve ever received has touched my heart but in speaking with him, I listened intently and I thought about my Billy and the void in my life since his passing again came over me like a wave, but I held it in momentarily – then, when we hung up, I broke down.

Every holiday that encompasses our American spirit, our patriotism and loyalty to the United States of America always moved my husband and his reaction, without fail, affected me. It made me happy, it made me proud of him and all the men and women who have served our country. It made me sad, too, for what he and so many have been through. For the heartache they have seen, felt, heard, smelled and still dream horrible dreams about.

When I say my prayers every morning, I thank God for His Son, Jesus Christ and I thank Him for the blessings in my life, which are many. I’m not wealthy by any means – in fact I struggle from week to week and even more so now than ever before like so many it seems – but my blessings are stacked high and wide. I thank God for being in my heart, for the health of our family, for getting us through difficult times and I thank Him for bringing Billy and I together, a Christian man, who loved the Lord, who loved our country, who was a soldier proud of his U.S. Army service and a man who was thankful that God had brought him home from Vietnam which enabled us to love each other for almost 50 years when he passed.

The Fourth of July is an incredibly valuable time in our history, but do we still feel the significance of it in our hearts? I’ve told you all that I’m a news watcher. I try to keep up with what’s going on because I care, but sometimes it’s hard to when so much in a day brings you to the reality of changes that have swept through our nation.

Regarding Roe v. Wade, I heard folks had posted the justices’ mailing addresses so people could express their grievances, but I thought hmm … maybe the citizens who support the decision can also write thank you cards.

You and I might disagree on this topic and that’s okay, but to witness adults screaming in the face of a journalist that they “loved killing babies” and marching in protest with little children at their side, how do people do that? If life doesn’t matter, why do we have doctors and medicine? Aren’t there available resources to help prevent unwanted pregnancies readily available? for men and women? even free or at little cost at local health departments? Things happen. Sometimes a couple takes every measure to prevent it and perhaps it happens anyway and that would be a hard place to be in, but our country has made it easy to end it rather than do a better job to encourage preventative measures or promote adoption, especially in lieu of Americans having to seek foreign adoption in order to bring a baby into their lives and homes?

I met a couple years ago who wanted more than anything to have a child of their own, but they could not conceive. From what they told me, they were financially middle class, not rich by any means, but hard working people who loved children and who had exerted every effort possible to adopt here at home, but the laws were so stringent and prohibitive it caused them to have to seek adoption out of the United States. Something is wrong with this picture. Just my opinion, but women who don’t plan, want or feel they can raise a child for whatever reason should have ample help available to bring it into the world, save its life, save her the trauma of having an abortion and bless a childless couple or a responsible single parent. We can do better than promoting death to an innocent life who didn’t ask to be there; life is precious at any point they become “life.”

Our world is changing, folks. We aren’t all that independent like we used to be when you really think about it. We’ve had to beg for children from a foreign country, we’re now begging for oil that is foreign, our law enforcement is under siege, innocent women and little children are harmed in the street, our military recruitment is down, our cops are leaving the force in droves for lack of support and backing; our medical offices and physician availability has all of a sudden gone “bye bye,” schools are falling short of teaching what will help kids conduct life. What in the world folks? This is ridiculous!

I love this country. I don’t like war, suffering, loss of life and destruction of positive and good things, but I like it when we are self-sufficient and fully embodied to defend ourselves. When our food, fuel and baby formula is ample and our adversaries know that challenging us isn’t wise because we are united as a nation, as Americans and that crossing the line could be at their peril. Disagreements we will always have, but in the past we dealt with our differences and still found a way to get along. Nowadays, it’s gone well beyond that to the point of imploding here at home with increasing crime, demolition and death.

I pray for all of us on this Fourth of July that we find within ourselves time to reflect and consider the sacrifices our men and women have endured to protect the freedoms we’ve embraced for all these years; that we stay steadfast in our American pride and love of country and for intelligent people to stop being so gullible. We all need a renewed sense of courage, of a determination to stop the “stupid” stuff and get down and back to basics.

The good Lord, prayers, our military, our law enforcement, our sense of honor and the protection of all the human race is what we have historically cared about, looked up to, stood up for, through war, through medicine, through laws. We have strived to sustain life. We know what it means to be independent – let’s “play it again Sam”! This July 4^th, let’s wave our flags, cheer, clap, smile and hug each other and thank God that we are still the United States of America and let’s get back to basics, please.

Until next time, be healthy, safe and happy. You are one of a gazillion people who were created for a special purpose; you can choose to be part of the solution or part of the problem, the choice is yours. If you wish to contact me, call 252-202-2058 or email giglineheroes@aol.com. If you’re a veteran or active duty, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I sincerely love you all. God bless you and everyone you love. Happy, happy 4^th of July!! Stay tuned!

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