What does Independence Day mean to you?

To me, July 4^th is time of a pride I have in my Husband & Daddy and all servicemen for loving us all, America to, so much that they were and are willing to go out and defend us. I also feel as a patriotic holiday it’s a time to remember those who gave their lives for our freedoms.
I can’t imagine I’m the only one who’s eyes well up with tears anytime you hear, “America, America. God shed his grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea.”
If you are reading this blog I HIGHLY recommend when you’re done to visit the website scoutsongs.com and read all of the words to  America The Beautiful ! Talk about making your heart swell !!

Well I hope I’ve got your Red, White & Blue blood pumping for the holiday weekend. I’ll leave you today with these interesting tidbits I found. GOD BLESS AMERICA, my home sweet home. I wouldn’t want it to be anywhere else here on earth.

** On July 4, 1776, the 13 colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States of America.

** John Adams, whose influences help make this all happen wrote this letter to his wife Abigail:                        This day (July 4^th) will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of it’s continent to the other, from this time forward for ever more.

**The Flag Salute**

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America / and to the Republic for which it stands / One Nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all                                                                                             

The Pledge of Allegiance was composed in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister

Interestingly the phrase, "of the United States of America" wasn't added until 1923. Even more interesting to me was finding out that the words, "under GOD" were not added until 1954....                                                    

***There have been many lawsuits filed in court since then to try and have the words Under GOD removed, so far with no success.

**The salute to our flag we have now, right hand over heart, isn't the original. In 1942 Franklin D. Roosevelt changed it to this because the original, called the Bellamy Salute. Arm outstretched, Palm down then Palm up was adopted by the Nazi's.... Thank you Franki D.  !

Those were the days....... Thank You Edith & Archie Bunker

If I said it once then I've said it a million times, "I wish things were like they used to be." Simpler Times. I think that has been said generation after generation and usually after we've grown up and had a child or two and we're looking back at our own childhood. I remember back when you didn't dare whine about being bored to your mother, 'cause she was sure to find something for you to do {high chances were it was gonna involve some type of work!}
Childhood obesity wasn't an issue. Most in part because you went outside to play, from sun up till sun down. You rode your bicycle, which has been replaced largely by motorized scooters. You walked to your friends house even if they did live a mile up the road, which you can't do as much now in fear of some child predator lurking about. You and your friends built tree houses or playhouses in the woods and spent all day sweepin' the dirt floor & decorating them with things you snuck out of the house or garage, which has been replaced by souped up video game systems, computers and games like Farmville or Cityville where you just sit and type up a world you want to create instead of participating in the Real World that is wasting away right before their eyes.
Remember when.... we used to write letters to friends & family, on actual paper using stamps that cost a little more than a piece of gum to send them through the mail that took a few days but then you had the joy of retrieving that letter  you'd been expecting out of an actual metal mailbox? Which has all been replaced by a click of a few buttons. 
.....I could go on & on about the "remember whens". If you post to this blog or you're a member on Facebook maybe you could share some of your own "Remember When" moments :)
In the "revised" words of  Archie & Edith Bunker....

Boy the way the Eagles played
Songs that made the Top 10 great
Oh yeah we had it made
Those were the days...
      And you knew who you were then
      Girls were girls and Men were men
      You bet that we could use a man
      Like Martin Luther again.
Didn't need Forecloser rates
Life was actually pretty great
Gee our Oldsmobile run great
Those Were The Days..................

What kind of a friend are you?

I used to think there was two kinds of friends. Friend #1...this person you could hang out with have a laugh now & then, a see ya, when I see ya kind of friend. Obviously you could have many of those friends. Friend #2..this person was your "go to" friend. When the chips were down and the world was collapsing around you OR if you needed to vent or just share what kind of a week you were having and of course in return you were that kind of friend for them.     ........like I said, I used to think that.
Thanks to someone in my life, I see there are many types of friends and even though someone may be one kind of friend in your life, at any given time or circumstance that friendship can change and evolve into a whole new & different one. Close friends can become closer, and some of your dearest friends can get farther away.
When you call yourself someones "Best Friend" then you should take that to heart and treat as such. It should never be one sided or taken advantage of. One reason being you're likely to hurt the one who's been there for you when no one else was. Second of all that very person you hurt, the one who's always been there in the past , is likely not to be there in the future.
Toby Keith, a country singer, has a song that reminds me of the type of person I'm talking about. "I wanna talk about me, wanna talk I , wanna talk about number one OH my, me, my. What I think. What I like. What I know. What I want . What I see..... I like talkin about you,you,you,you USUALLY. But Occasionally, I WANNA TALK ABOUT ME!"
If your gonna call yourself a Best Friend. If your gonna represent yourself as a Best Friend...then BE ONE. The friendship should be two-sided. Yes, sometimes one sides needs are greater than the other..Sometimes. When it becomes ALL of the time then there is something wrong on one end and if that needy end refuses to recognize that fact then you may have what some call a Toxic Friendship.
  If your unsure of the job duties, then ask around, look it up, observe others that are.
Yes, I said job duties. Just like being a mom, sister or a wife... a Best Friend is somewhat of a Job. It's something that needs constant tending to. Worked at, not thrown on a shelf somewhere to get dusty or forgotten. If you cherish that friendship then you wouldn't want to neglect it, so don't.
At 42 years old, I know what it is I want in my life and what I don't want. I want to be useful, not used. Needed but appreciated. I want to hear all about your day, then will you listen about mine? I wanna be able to trust that when I call upon "you" that you'll be there, just like I would be there for you......
I know that God in Heaven is all of these things for me. But there's nothing wrong with having a Friend on Earth helping him out down here :)

Once Upon a time...

It seems that everyone nowadays has a blog. The best I can figure is that this "blog" thing is like an
on-line diary of sorts? Ok, maybe not a diary since I'd like for people to actually READ the entries. Maybe a journal.. yeah, that's it, a journal. I wish I could zip back in time and gather all the journals I had discarded and misplaced over the years. What a collection that would be!
Since 2006 I've kept all of my date/calendar books. I've always referred to them as *My Brain*. I had finally figured out in order to have any order in my life I needed to keep one of those things in my purse with me at all times. Originally I started it for appointments and such but soon figured out I could write down all kinds of things in there. Everything from a to-do list, doctor appointments to what I did that day or what eventful thing may have taken place that day. Those books have actually come in handy on  more than one occasion, from everything to "When was my pap smear done last year?"  to "What was the date of that big snow we had in 2009?" I refer back to those books more than I ever thought I would. 
That has got me to thinkin', "If I had written down in a journal my day to day life and all that it entails for the last several years I could SO have turned that into a book!!"
Better late than never...... here we go.