I’m caught thinking about the upcoming holiday and what it means to people in the United States. For the youngsters, it means a day out of school. For the government workers, it means a day off of work. For many, many people but never enough of them, it is a day of remembrence. We live in a country that allows us to be free to express ourselves in any way, shape or form we prefer. Our ideas are not censored simply because they contradict the government’s ideology. I am free to discover my true passions.

Freedom is hard fought, but came quickly once the idea was introduced to a modern society. Consider this: in 2000 BC, many of our ancestors were still ruled by a greedy monarchy in Egypt or part of a war-torn Orient. We even may have been on North America but in so few numbers that it seems almost insignificant. 2000 years later, we are writing and recording thoughts and stories throughout the Middle East. Religions have developed and flourished throughout the land. 1400 years after that, we have horses, carts and roads. We’re traveling vast distances and trading with other nations across the planet. 100 years go by and we’re on almost every continent of the world. Suddenly the gigantic world isn’t so gigantic. 200 years later our forefathers are starting to get upset with the English monarchy.

300 years. In the last 300 years, the United States of America has grown from a simple seceded union to one of the most powerful nations in the world. 70 years, Declaration of Independence. 90 years, civil war. 40 years, World War I. 25 years, WWII.

In the last 100 years, the United States has fought in so many wars that they have started to meld together. From the advancements in World War I to the devastation and pain caused by war in Iraq and Afghanistan, our Veterans fought for nothing less than equal liberty for peoples of the world. I know it’s a cliché but freedom really isn’t free. Honor those who have served, those who have fought and those who have died for the freedom and security of our country. Whether you agree with the war or with why we started fighting just remember that every person who has fought and died, died to protect your right to agree or disagree and to express that opinion.

OK, enough of the serious stuff! It’s 23:45 and I’m almost done with work! (Yes, I wrote that whole thing *between* calls)