Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Hard to believe that we have only reached the mid-point of 2020, it feels like we have combined five years into one considering all of the things that have happened so far this year and we haven’t even gotten to the presidential election. There is one you know?! Right now it has been way overshadowed by the virus and protests. Anyway, the good news is that despite all that has occurred in recent months we are ready to celebrate the fourth of July. A date when the 13 colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. Actually, it was approved by the Continental Congress on the 2nd, and it was officially signed by all 13 representatives on the 4th. Many do not remember that we were already at war with Great Britain with battles starting back in April of 1775, and there were many that were not in favor of the split. However, over time the idea became more popular, and on June 7, when the Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House, later to be known as Independence Hall, Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion calling for the colonies’ independence. After much heated debate, the Congress postponed the vote and appointed a five-man committee to draft a formal proposal justifying the break with Great Britain. I am sure you will recognize some of the famous names in this group – Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Ben Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams of Massachusetts – but there were two others that kind of got lost in the shuffle: Robert Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. Although it is said that most of the effort came from the pen of Thomas Jefferson, they were all responsible for forging this important document that resulted in the United States of America. History lesson completed! I want to conclude that in these troubling times, I still feel blessed and honored to live in this country, and I personally would not live anywhere else. I understand this country is not perfect, and it will never be perfect. When you have a nation of over 350 million people of all shapes, sizes, and persuasion, there are going to be some bad apples, but we must not allow that to turn us from moving forward. Take one step at a time to make things a little better, try to pass forward your blessings to those around you, and live the example of what it means to be a free citizen in the greatest country in the world. I admit I still get a bit of a thrill when I stand for the playing of the national anthem, hat off and hand over heart as I watch Old Glory rise up and unfurl in the deep blue sky. Then when the jets roar overhead in a final salute, and the crowd explodes in cheers, my heart just skips a bit, and I am not ashamed to admit it. Some may call me an old fogy; I admit to being old, but I am not a fogy. I thank God every day for the opportunity to live in this great land and I pray that He will continue to watch over us and give us His blessings no matter how we try to mess things up.
That is a wrap for me. I need to go out and see if I can still buy fireworks. I assume so, since they are kind of self-social distancing by definition (you know, boom!). As always, be good, do good, play safe and remember, freedom requires constant TLC. God bless, happy Fourth of July, and be careful out there.
JR
