A different perspective

Yesterday was the 4th of July. Despite being invited to several places I decided to spend it with my family. Last year I spent it with friends and the year before I was on tour with APU's Drama Ministry Team. It felt good to help my mother run about the kitchen trying to prepare our food. We had quite a feast: BBQ ribs, chicken, corn bread, bakes beans, with apple pie and lemon tarts to follow. We went to the Freedom Celebration after to enjoy some fireworks. The show was beautiful. I hadn't seen a firework show like that in quite a few years. The colors and designs were breathtaking. After the show was over my family spend the next half hour trying walking back to our car that we had to park a mile away. While we walked we could hear the distant and not so distant popping of illegal fireworks being blown up all around us. Then this thought popped in my head. We celebrate the 4th of July by setting off fireworks that symbolize the warfare that we went through for the Independence of our country right? Then it got me to thinking about what it would be like if these fireworks were REAL bombs going off. I was walking with my dad with my arms in his. So I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself in the middle of gunfire. I could smell the fumes from the explosions and hear the distant pops. I started to think of the places around the world that hear these sounds everyday, except that they aren't for pleasure. When they hear these sounds the have to duck and cover. They have to run for their life. I thought about this for the rest of the night and it opened my eyes to a different level of patriotism. Sure, I have known what it means to be grateful for those that have served our country. But I seem to always take for granted the peace that I enjoy in this country every single day. I don't have to wake up in the morning and hope that my house doesn't get bombed or raided. I don't have to worry about being caught in a crossfire walking to the grocery store. For that I am ever so grateful.