My first exposure to a world without freedom was in 1977 Eastern Europe. Bound by the chains of communism, the people had suffered for years at the hands of despots and tyrants.  A Pensione manager whispering from her heart into my mother’s ear,  “We love you Americans but we are so afraid to say so – we’ve had war for so many years…” is a sentence that has stuck in my mind for 28 years.  Border guards meticulously searching our train with mirrors probing underneath and German Shepherds examining within was an experience I’ve not forgotten.

Never should we take the precious freedoms we daily enjoy for granted.  Freedom was not cheap. Freedom was a dream purchased with the blood of our forbearers.  For over 200 years, our freedoms have been maintained with even more blood of our American heroes.

So today, as we celebrate with parades, BBQ and fireworks.  Let’s remember and be thankful.

God Bless America, and may we continue to be the shining example of freedom to bear testimony to the world.

The post 4th of July Thankfulness appeared first on Christy Largent.

But today, because my son was adopted into an American home, he is free to spend the day lying on his bed reading to his heart’s content.  He is free to enjoy angry birds and the power rangers in equal measure.  He’s free to dream and then live out those dreams unencumbered.

Today is a sad day for the thousands of children who have been pouring illegally into the United States over the past few weeks.  No matter how they got here, my guess is that they were longing for freedom and opportunity.  Today they are housed in large cages waiting for our government to figure out what to do with them.

My heart breaks for those children.  I wish I could do something, anything, to get them out of the kennel for people and into homes where honest, hard working, god-fearing people would love them.  Although I’ve contacted my congressmen and both senators, I’ve heard nothing in response.

So today we Americans celebrate our freedom with bike rides and pool parties and picnics and book reading.  We’ll wrap it all up with baseball and fireworks.  It’s so easy to take it for granted isn’t it.

But I don’t and I hope you won’t.  I hope you will take the time to be thankful for what you have and the people you have in your life.  If you are American, you have blessings and abundance that the majority of the world can only dream of.  Let’s show our patriotism by being thankful and grateful and generous.  God Bless America.

The post Happy July 4th America! appeared first on Christy Largent.