"O beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountains majesty
Above thy fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"

One of my favorite writers, Henry David Thoreau once said, "Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit." Because God has shed His grace on this country we are free to enjoy the fruits of each season.

1984

In 1984, I was in D.C. for a dedication to a new statue by the Wall. President Reagan was there to talk to a crowd of a half million Vietnam vets and their families. They had a lot of activities and reunions of every unit that served were scheduled all weekend. We were treated with constant entertainment and we met a lot of politicians and members of the press.

They all paled in comparison to a little old man in a wheelchair. He was dressed in a WWI uniform and carried a folded flag in his lap. He was treated like royalty by each of us that crossed his path.

His 90 plus year old eyes lit up each time he had a chance to talk with one of us wild-eyed Nam vets. He had a great grandson that died in Vietnam and I felt honored when I walked with him along the Wall and saw the young man’s’ name.

The man had kin in every war and they all served in combat. As we walked, I hung on his every word as he talked with such pride and fervor about the value of serving our country.

He knew that our country was founded on Christian beliefs and values. He told me of the very many trips he made to the capital during his life and how he always stopped in the Archive building to see in Declaration of Independence. He loved seeing Bible references in every building and he could tell you about them better than the guides could.

When we reached the name of his great grandson, he reached for my hand and we prayed together. When we said Amen, I looked up and it was like a media event. Cameras were everywhere and I never saw them coming.

The old man looked up from his prayer and wiped a tear and gently placed the folded coffin flag at the foot of the wall beneath the young man’s name. Then he kissed his Bible and placed it on the flag. I recognized it as the type of Bible issued by the Army. Yes, I said issued by the Army.

I said goodbye to the old man and his family and wished I could have thanked him more for the gift he gave me. He made me a better man that day just by sharing his beliefs in God and country. I saw him talking with a great many vets that weekend and he was sharing with each of them. We all stood a lot taller in his presence.

I met a lot of amazing people in D.C. and will write about them in time, but none amazed me as much. I only shared a brief time with him but he touched me the most. I can still remember those bright eyes as he spoke of God and country and he never spoke of one without the other. He said he was truly blessed being able to serve a country that gave us the freedom to love Jesus.

As you enjoy the festivities of the 4th and the backyard BBQ’s, give a moment to offer a prayer of thanks to those that came before, to insure such freedom. They were an awesome breed I will never forget.

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For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.
Galatians 5:13

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17