One Nation, Under God

Fourth of July celebrations have always been the highlight of summer vacation for me. I remember as a child participating in parades, dressing in patriotic colors, and attending local festivities. When I married Michael, my joy surrounding the 4th of July grew because of his "firecracker baby". Tyler was born on the 4th of July in 1998. Now, not only does the day revolve around national celebrations but around celebrating the birth of Tyler Marie as well. This week on the 4th, she turned 13 years old!

Having moved to Maryland less than a month ago, I talked my husband into our chaotic family braving the Washington, D.C. crowds for the annual celebrations this 4th of July in 2011. Michael was worried about the crowds, the heat, and my pregnancy. Being eight months pregnant and walking around in July heat with thousands and thousands of people may not have been my brightest idea. But Michael agreed to doing it anyway and it was honestly an extraordinary day. The kids did remarkably well and we had extra help from family that was in the area for the day. The chaos kiddos thoroughly enjoyed the sights and sounds of the day from the parade on Constitution Avenue, to touring one of the museums, all the way to the fireworks. It was a pleasant experience for our adventurous crew.

A true patriot, there is something that moved me about being so close to many of our Nation's treasures and monuments. I could not help but feel pride in our country, even during a time of economic stress. I am not a fan of our current government officials nor the way politics is handled on either side of the party lines. However, I am extremely proud to live in a free republic where I have the ability to worship where I please, speak when I please, travel where I please, and enjoy a pursuit of personal happiness (just to name a few things). No country is perfect and the great U.S. of A has a lot of work to do in this 21st century, but my pride in our nation as a whole motivates me to share that love and pride with my children. I feel lucky and blessed that we now live close enough to DC that my children and I will have the availability to explore the Capital on family field trips.

My children will learn in school about our nation's rich history and will then have the opportunity to go and see for themselves what they have read. Personally, I will make it my goal as their mommy to supplement their education with trips to the capital and discussions about the origins of our great country. Our faith in our family is supremely important and my children will spend the next several years (as long as Maryland is "home" to our chaos) learning how to pray for their country and put their faith in action from such a close proximity. Freedom is a gift, one that was bought at a cost and one that the Gaffner Chaos is thankful for beyond words.