The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA 2014

By Elaine Slater Reese Spring Green, Wi.

I was going to the store to buy you a birthday card, America. But then I started really thinking - something that many of us Americans either don't know how to do or don't take the time to do anymore.

I could just say "You've come a long way, Baby!" And that certainly would be true. So many positive things are in your history. But it appears to me that in the last generation and ours so many things have changed.

My explanation would be that many of us have let political correctness dictate our hearts and thoughts to the point we have lost sight of its original intentions. And in doing so, we seem to have lost thought or concern for many of things that originally made you great.

Early in your history many of your citizens relied on God. But as we became more materialistic, we relied less and less on Him. We turned more to our possessions than to spiritual guidance. We decided we would each make our own rules and live accordingly.

I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO VERIFY THAT GOD HAS CHANGED THE RULES FROM DAY ONE!

But if we focus more and more on ourselves and our sets of rules, then God's pattern for our lives seems to be totally unimportant.

America, many of your citizens go to extremes to protect animals. I have no problem with that. But do we do that and abort babies?

We can go years and not know or speak with those who live next door to us but have a smart phone in our hands hours each day.

We have become so focused on what we do believe about politics that we can't have rational conversations with those whose thoughts are not exactly the same as ours.

Thoughtfulness, kindness, giving are often replaced by self-centeredness, rudeness, and argumentation.

I wonder how you would change, America, if WE ALL read daily these words which are part of the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (7/4/1776)?

"WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL; THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS; THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY,AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.

FOR THE SUPPORT OF THIS DECLARATION, WITH A FIRM RELIANCE ON THE PROTECTION OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE,WE MUTUALLY PLEDGETO EACH OTHER OUR LIVES, OUR FORTUNES, AND OUR SACRED HONOR".

There's nowhere else I would rather live than here. So this July 4th, I resolve to each day do at least one thing that contributes to making us a people united - with liberty and justice for all. Will you do that also?