Skip to main content

Blogging Buffet: I is for Independence

The theme of my A to Z Challenge posts this year is "Blogging Buffet." In celebration of recently posting my 1000th blog post, I am revisiting posts from the past.  This post originally published on Saturday, July 5, 2014.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That excerpt from the Declaration of Independence has been on my mind this week.  Those beautiful words set the course of this nation.  I'm thankful for the courage of the members of the Continental Congress to pen and approve such a course-altering document.   

I'm thankful that they had the wisdom to spell out the self-evident truths.  While I recognize that history does not always support ideals, I am thankful that "all men are created equal." I'm thankful that everyone, including my own friends and family members, have equal rights, regardless of the color of their skin.  I'm thankful to live in a "melting pot," and I'm thankful for the melting pot that is my family.
Photo:  The head of the Statue of Liberty


I'm thankful that the Declaration also acknowledged a Creator, one who endowed his children with unalienable Rights.  I'm thankful for those gifts of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

I'm thankful to feel personally connected to the history of this great nation.  Many of my ancestors arrived on this continent before the writing of the Declaration of Independence.  Several of my great (many times over) grandfathers were instrumental in shaping the way of life here.  Thomas Hooker founded the state of Connecticut, and has been called, "The Father of American Democracy."  James Pierrpont and Noadiah Russell founded Yale University.  John Brockett laid out the town square of New Haven, Connecticut.

However, despite my connection--through no merits of my own--to the early days of this nation, I'm thankful that I am no more an American than my friends who became citizens of the United States in recent years.  I'm thankful for the friends I have had who have come here from other countries and who have completed the sometimes-frustrating process to become citizens.  Their perseverance reminds me to not take my freedoms for granted.

And though this week's Ten Things of Thankful post focused on the United States, I am also thankful for my friends who are not citizens of this nation.  Especially with the internet, the world is a small place, and regardless of where on earth we live, we share so many common experiences.  We can all learn from each other, regardless of allegiance.  

photo visiting2_zps6d4521f3.jpg 

photo ThankfulThought4_zps7d9599c2.jpg 
Thanks for independence, and people everywhere.




photo signature3_zps16be6bca.jpg


Pin It

Comments

  1. Tired TeacherApril 11, 2016 at 8:20 AM

    Another great post!

    So many Americans take the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and Freedom for granted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiApril 20, 2016 at 12:17 PM

      It seems to be human nature to take things for granted. We certainly do have great freedoms here.

      Delete
  2. shortybearApril 11, 2016 at 12:34 PM

    good post

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dyanne @ I Want BacksiesApril 11, 2016 at 8:54 PM

    I think one of the beauties of America is that anyone can be American.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownApril 13, 2016 at 10:04 AM

    This is beautiful. I bet some of those who signed that document would be very ashamed of the way some of our politicians are behaving at the moment. We are all created equal!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 14, 2016 at 10:19 AM

    This well-written post could be shared any day and every day. The gratitude aspect of it touches our American hearts and the hearts of the people here.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: 39 Years Edition

A political map of the world circa 1987. The Soviet Union takes up a sizable portion. A lot has happened in the last 39 years. The Berlin Wall came down. The Soviet Union collapsed. The Twin Towers fell. Technology has changed: landlines and phone booths are practically extinct, and random questions can be answered in seconds by asking Google, Siri, or Alexa. No longer do drivers keep the Thomas Guide in their cars; navigation systems will give turn-by-turn directions, and recalculate when the driver doesn't follow the directions. Some cars don't even need drivers. While many shoppers do their shopping in-person, some simply log into Amazon and have their item show up on their doorstep--sometimes within hours.  I've seen pieces of the Berlin Wall. I've traveled to places that used to be behind the Iron Curtain. I've been to Ground Zero. I no longer have a house phone, and have looked up the answers to countless questions using my cell phone. I do not miss the stress...
5 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: April Showers Edition

  A red peony bud prepares to open fully  After an incredibly dry winter, we had a bit of precipitation this past week, in the form of falling snow. We didn't have much, and it didn't really stick, but we'll take water however it wants to come. Fortunately, my peonies seem unaffected by the cold snap, and are ready to put on a show here soon. 1. I'm thankful for moisture. 2. I'm thankful the flowers are still going to bloom. I don't know how the colder temperatures will affect the fruit crops. The strawberries look like they are still planning to set fruit. We'll have to see what happens with the peach, apricot, pear, and apple. (The apricot only bears heavily every other year anyway, and I think this is an "off" year--though I could be wrong.) Strawberry plants in full bloom 3. I'm thankful for anticipated berries.  We continue to clear out and otherwise prepare John's parents' house for sale. I've been going through old photos and...
8 comments
Read more

Monday Mentions: Equate Crutches

Have you ever needed crutches? I hadn't, until a week ago.  I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle while running a half-marathon.  (That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I'm not actually that cool; the last time I strained a muscle it was from carrying too many shopping bags at once.) In any case, I found myself in need of some crutches. I sent my husband to the store to get some. Photo: A pair of crutches leans against a wall  Not that crutches are all that complex, but because I hadn't used any before, I wondered if I could figure out how to adjust them to fit me properly. I shouldn't have worried. John came home from Walmart with their generic store brand of crutches, complete with instructions. First, I needed to take out a long bolt that went through the hand grip. Then I needed to find my height range, push down two metal pieces, and slide the crutches until the little metal pieces came up in the hole near my height range. (Having two people for this...
4 comments
Read more