Tuesday, July 20, 2010

My time of year is approaching.....

I still cannot believe how quickly the year is passing by. I remember as child telling my dad that the time sure did fly by while we were out for summer vacation or on a beach trip or doing something else fun. Every time I would make that comment, my dad would always tell me that it goes even more quickly as you get older. As a young person, that never meant anything to me. Now, in my 40's, I realize more and more every year what my dad meant.

We are just a few months from Fall, football, and probably some news of a hurricane making landfall. This is my favorite time of the year and I wish I could just pause it when it gets here and make it last forever.

My friends and family think I am weird, but I get a little buzz when we have a hurricane or tropical storm in the Gulf. It is so amazing to me to see Mother Nature at work. I probably would not feel this way if I lived closer to the coast and had to experience major loss as the people in New Orleans and along the coastal line have, or if I had lost a loved one in a storm. But as it is, I love to track it, then sit in my screened porch with a glass of tea, and watch whatever it offers us. Here, we usually have wind damage, a lot of rain, and frequent tornadoes.

Some years, we have enjoyed the storm during the week and then enjoyed a good football game on Saturday. That is a good week for me, especially if I get to squeeze a hunting trip in, too.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Enjoy your July 4th Holiday...


But also remember those who have given their lives for our freedom. In addition to the men and women who have died in recent times, let us also remember the early times of our country. You may have seen an email containing this message, but it is worth mentioning again:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence ?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.