HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!

I know I'm a day early, but tomorrow may be busy for a lot of us, with family and friends, bar-b-ques, or just taking it easy, and staying off the computer!

This 4th of July is probably like most every other 4th we've celebrated, yet there is a difference. Our country is in the midst of change, some of which may not be a welcome friend to our freedoms. My hope and prayer today is that each of us will cherish the freedom we have known, the freedom that people from all countries have traveled here to find, the freedom to live without fear, whether poor or rich, sick or healthy, the freedom that could be taken from us we if we take it for granted. Be aware of your freedom, and be aware of what life would be like without it.

This quote of a speech made by late President Ronald Reagan makes a powerful statement. I could say much that is on my heart, but this really says it all.

At a 1984 prayer breakfast, Mr. Reagan stated: "Without God, there is no virtue, because there's no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we're mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
"Families must continue to be the foundation of our nation. Families—not government programs—are the best way to make sure our children are properly nurtured, our elderly are cared for, our cultural and spiritual heritages are perpetuated, our laws are observed and our values are preserved. Thus it is imperative that our government's programs, actions, officials and social welfare institutions never be allowed to jeopardize the family. We fear the government may be powerful enough to destroy our families; we know that it is not powerful enough to replace them.

Again, Happy 4th of July to all! Celebrate with wisdom and care.

Mary