Cross posted at American Hajji
Well another independence day is here. It's time once again to retrieve the flags from the basement and slip across the state border to pick up some illegal fireworks. (Not that I'd ever do something like that...) At first, I was upset because, what with being deployed and all, I'm not going to be doing much "celebrating." But then I realized that, at the risk of sounding sappy, Independence Day isn't about loud booms and over cooked hotdogs. It's about America, something bigger than the day. It's about everything that the U.S. represents.
What that thing is that America represents isn't the same to every person; we all have our own idea of what makes this country great. All of us are right, all of us are wrong. There is no single word for what lies behind our country. Freedom, happiness, prosperity, and equality are all part of it. But there is more, even if I don't know the word. And that "something else" is one thing that I can reflect on and celebrate wherever I am.
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