The 4th of July: The REAL Day for Thanksgiving.

I have been pondering the 4th of July holiday for the past several days.  Especially in comparison to Thanksgiving.  First let me say, I LOVE Thanksgiving.  I love the food and the vibe that this particular holiday brings.  I look forward to Thanksgiving every year come October. But to me, the meaning behind the holiday has become so muddled (Soooo, Columbus wasn't the first to set foot? ) that the whole "thankfulness" factor has been lost.  And that is ok, because to me, the 4th of July has always been the time when I reflect and am thankful.

I am thankful for our forefathers, who decided to risk their lives and start over with a free nation, one where people are free...free to choose their religion, free to speak their minds, free to live their lives without fear.  I mean, how awesome is that? I feel so blessed that I can worship my God without fear.
I am also thankful to the men and women who have repeatedly fought and died so that those freedoms stay in tact.  This is the most wonderful nation in the world, and it is because people have sacrificed their lives over and over to protect us from the ones who would see it fall.

I am so proud to be an american, and I am so thankful for what that means for me.  I have a roof over my head, food on the table every day, and I am a woman with a college education that has a say in my life.  All of these things could have been very different for me if I had been born somewhere else.

So thank you...thank you for all of the ones who came before me, who saw how special this country is and knew that it was worth sacrificing everything for. And thank you to the ones still making the sacrifice.